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Long Island Man Gets 25 Years in Prison for Al-Qaeda Ties
Central Islip, NY – Marcos Alonso Zea, also known as ‘Ali Zea,’ a 32-year-old American citizen and resident of Brentwood, New York, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and obstruction of justice.
According to the court documents, Zea planned to travel overseas in the fall of 2011 to wage violent jihad against the perceived enemies of Islam, which included the government of Yemen and its allies. In furtherance of his plot, Zea boarded a flight at John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) in Queens, New York, to London, England, en route to Yemen on January 4, 2012.
Zea was not permitted to transit onward from London and was returned to the United States by British authorities. Despite being prevented from traveling to Yemen, Zea continued to plot, including by encouraging and supporting his co-conspirator, Justin Kaliebe, who also was planning to travel to fight jihad. In January 2013, Kaliebe was arrested at JFK while attempting to travel to Yemen to join AQAP.
Months later, after learning that he too was under investigation, Zea caused electronic media on his computer to be destroyed in an effort to obstruct the investigation. Notwithstanding his efforts, a forensic examination of Zea’s electronic media subsequently conducted by investigators revealed an assortment of violent Islamic extremist materials, including issues of Inspire magazine, part of AQAP’s English-language media operations.
“Marcos Alonso Zea presents a chilling reminder of the danger presented to the United States by homegrown terrorists,” stated U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch. “Born, raised, and schooled in the United States, the defendant nevertheless betrayed his country by attempting to join Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, assisting a co-conspirator’s attempt to join that terrorist group, and, after learning he was under investigation, attempting to destroy evidence of his guilt.”
Ms. Lynch expressed her grateful appreciation to all the members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the New York City Police Department, Intelligence Division, for their work on the investigation.
The government’s case is being prosecuted jointly by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section and the Eastern District of New York.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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