A Brownsburg, Indiana, man was arrested Tuesday for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

A Brownsburg, Indiana, man was arrested Tuesday for attempting to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

ISIL, also known as ISIS, is a designated foreign terrorist organization.

FBI agents arrested Akram Musleh, 18, as he tried to board a bus from Indianapolis to New York. The FBI believes Musleh was going to fly to Morocco in transit to ISIL-controlled territory.

The arrest was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Josh J. Minkler of the Southern District of Indiana and Special Agent in Charge W. Jay Abbott of the FBI’s Indiana Division.

Musleh is accused of planning to provide support to ISIL by fighting for the terrorist group.

FBI agents were on the scene at Brownsburg Pointe Apartments in connection with the investigation.

Musleh attended Brownsburg High School

According to the criminal complaint, when Musleh was a student at Brownsburg High School in 2013, he posted three videos of Anwar Al-Awlaki to YouTube. Al-Awlaki was a radical cleric assassinated in a drone strike several years ago, and his videos encouraging Muslims to kill Americans have been associated with the radicalization of several suspects in domestic terror attacks.

The complaint says the school worked with the FBI to dissuade Musleh from "engaging in radical extremism."

In September 2014, Musleh bought an ISIL flag online. In June 2015, he was seen in a photo posing in front of the flag.

Musleh allegedly asked youths if they wanted to join Daesh

In April 2015, Brownsburg Police investigated an incident in Williams Park in Brownsburg to look into allegations that certain people at the park were asking juveniles if they wanted to join Daesh (another name for ISIL). The FBI determined that Musleh was one of the people asking juveniles about joining Daesh.

Tuesday night, one woman at the park told us, "They were back over there and I guess somebody came out of the woods like a woman and dude asking if they want to join some kind of group where they would be really good friends.

"They said 'no' and ran away and they started following them."



First attempt to travel to Turkey

Federal prosecutors say in 2015, Musleh tried to travel to Iraq or Turkey five times. They say those countries are common gateways for foreigners trying to link up with ISIL in Iraq and Syria.

In at least one of those attempts, he was not allowed to board the plane because his credit card was denied.

It's believed Musleh traveled to Istanbul, Turkey in June 2015, booking at least three separate one-way tickets from Chicago to Istanbul. Musleh allegedly told U.S. Customs and Border Protection that he was going to Istanbul to visit family. Then he explained he was traveling to get married, and would be meeting his fiancée and her family there. But the FBI says Musleh doesn't have family or friends in Turkey - and they say that the alleged fiancée is an ISIL sympathizer living in Sweden.

Musleh was not allowed to travel to Turkey in June 2015 because his passport was set to expire that August. Turkey requires a minimum of six months of validity on passports for visitors.

Journal, online statements in support of ISIL

When the FBI conducted an authorized search of Musleh's checked baggage, they found a journal containing quotes from Al-Awlaki, Osama bin Laden and others associated with terrorist groups.

The FBI says Musleh posted statements supporting ISIL on social media and found evidence of that activity online.



One-way ticket

Investigators say Musleh bought a one-way ticket on April 4, 2016 for June 23, 2016, from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to Casablanca, Morocco, and then on to Nador, Morocco. On April 21, 2016, he bought a one-way Greyhound bus ticket from Indianapolis to New York, to depart on June 21, 2016.



Musleh researched terror targets in Indiana

The FBI found that in May 2016, Musleh looked at a 2006 news article with the headline, "Indiana tops lists for terror targets," which details the Indiana Department of Homeland Security's list of 8,500 terror targets in the state. He also looked at commercial websites for pressure cookers a few days later and conducted extensive research on explosive materials like dynamite, flash powder, explosive precursors, along with instructions about explosive chemical recipes.

FBI agents trailed Musleh to the Brownsburg Walmart and spotted him looking at pressure cookers. He did not buy one. Pressure cookers can be used to make IEDs - like the bombs used in the Boston Marathon attack.



Statements from the FBI and other officials:

"“According to the complaint, Musleh attempted to travel overseas to join ISIL and to provide material support to the designated terrorist organization," said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “The National Security Division’s highest priority is countering terrorist threats, and we will continue to work to stem the flow of foreign fighters abroad and bring to justice those who attempt to provide material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations.”

“The radicalization of American citizens by terrorist organizations like ISIL is a threat to our safety here and abroad,” said U.S. Attorney Minkler. “I am committed to using the full authority of the United States Attorney’s Office to identify, investigate and prosecute those that provide material support to terrorists. I would like to thank the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Brownsburg Police Department for working with us during this investigation. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners but as in this case, we rely heavily on the public’s assistance to help make our community safe.”

“Terrorism is the FBI’s number one priority and we work closely with our law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of our community,” said Special Agent in Charge Abbott. “This case demonstrates the value of law enforcement collaboration and community engagement.”

If convicted, Musleh faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

This prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley Shepard and Doris Pryor of the Southern District of Indiana and Trial Attorneys Paul Casey and Kiersten Korczynski of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.



Statement from Gov. Mike Pence:



"We commend the FBI and law enforcement officers at every level in this state for the efforts that led to the apprehension of a radicalized Brownsburg teenager who was attempting to join terrorist forces in the Middle East. The apprehension of this suspect is an example of collaboration at the highest level of law enforcement and because of these actions, there is no doubt that Indiana is a safer place," said Gov. Mike Pence (R-IN).