Four Ohioans were charged by the Justice Department on Thursday with financing a deceased Yemeni-American al Qaeda figure.
Yahya Farooq Mohammad, 37; Ibrahim Zubair Mohammad, 36; Asif Ahmed Salim, 35; and Sultane Room Salim, 40, were all indicted for conspiring to aid terrorists and obstructing justice in a four-count indictment unsealed on Thursday. The first two also face additional counts of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
They were charged with helping Anwar Al-Awlaki, an al Qaeda leader killed in a CIA drone strike in Yemen in 2011. He was the first American targeted by such a strike.
“The charges in this case outline a plan to send thousands of dollars to a known terrorist, a plan which came to fruition shortly before one of the most notorious attempted attacks in recent memory — an attack claimed by that same terrorist,” said U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach. “This indictment is a testament to the perseverance of those who stand watch over our nation and is a clear message to those who support terrorism — we will not forget and you will face justice.”
Farooq Mohammad allegedly went to Yemen in 2009 to meet with and give Awlaki $22,000, according to the indictment.
The four face unspecified prison sentences, if convicted.
