The Justice Department on Thursday announced terrorism charges against two U.S. men tied to Hezbollah who had been plotting attacks against Americans and Israelis in the U.S. and Panama.
Ali Kourani, 32, of the Bronx, New York, and Samer el Debek, 37, of Dearborn, Mich., were arrested on June 1 for allegedly training with and supporting a component group of Hezbollah, the Lebanese-based group the U.S. and other countries have designated a terrorist organization.
The men allegedly received weapons and bomb-making training from the group in Lebanon.
“Today, we announce serious terrorism charges against two men who allegedly trained with and supported the Islamic Jihad Organization, a component of the foreign terrorist organization Hizballah,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim, in a statement, using alternative spelling for Hezbollah.
“Recruited as Hizballah operatives, Samer El Debek and Ali Kourani allegedly received military-style training, including in the use of weapons like rocket-propelled grenade launchers and machine guns for use in support of the group’s terrorist mission. At the direction of his Hizballah handlers, El Debek allegedly conducted missions in Panama to locate the U.S. and Israeli Embassies and to assess the vulnerabilities of the Panama Canal and ships in the Canal.
“Kourani allegedly conducted surveillance of potential targets in America, including military and law enforcement facilities in New York City. Thanks to the outstanding work of the FBI and NYPD, the allegedly destructive designs of these two Hizballah operatives have been thwarted, and they will now face justice in a Manhattan federal court.”
Kourani was born in Lebanon and lawfully entered the U.S. in 2003. He studied in the U.S., obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical engineering in 2009 and a master’s in business administration in 2013. He was recruited to join Hezbollah by 2008, the Justice Department said.
El Debek, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was first recruited by Hezbollah in late 2007 or early 2008.
