U.S. authorities on January 7 arrested two Iraqi refugees on terrorism-related charges in California and Texas.
A criminal complaint in Sacramento accuses Aws Mohammed Younis al-Jayab, 23, of traveling to Syria to fight alongside terrorist organizations and lying to investigators about it.
The complaint says Jayab, a Palestinian born in Iraq who came to the United States as an Iraqi refugee in October 2012, wrote on social media about his intent to return to Syria to fight for terrorist organizations, discussing his previous experience fighting against the regime in Syria.
When he applied for U.S. citizenship, the complaint alleges he lied to immigration officials about his travels and ties.
Meanwhile, Omar Faraj Saeed Al-Hardan, another Iraqi refugee who entered the United States in 2009, was charged in Houston with providing support to the Islamic State group and lying about it to immigration authorities.
"Based on the facts, as we know them, today's action may have prevented a catastrophic terror-related event in the making and saved countless lives," said Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick.
