Prosecutors said that a newlywed husband and wife were apprehended Thursday as they tried to travel to Yemen and join the Islamic State, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
The couple, 20-year-old James Bradley and 29-year-old Arwa Muthana were married in January and got arrested attempting to board a cargo ship destined for Yemen at a port near New York City, according to the AP. Bradley and Muthana were arrested at New Jersey’s Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal, and have since been charged with attempting and conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization in federal court, the outlet reported.
“James Bradley, and His Wife, Arwa Muthana, Were Arrested at a Seaport in New Jersey While Allegedly Attempting to Travel Overseas to Join and Fight for ISIS” https://t.co/xt682Auw4J
— Program On Extremism (@gwupoe) April 2, 2021
During their initial court appearance Thursday, the pair was ordered to be jailed without bail. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement their “plans to wage attacks against the United States have been thwarted,” according to the AP. (RELATED: Man Accused Of Plotting Terrorist Attack After Watching ISIS Videos Says He Was ‘Watching Porn 10 Minutes Later’)
Bradley expressed his support for the Islamic State for over a year, prosecutors claimed. Under the alias “Abdullah,” he also spoke about his desire to commit a terrorist attack in the United States, and tried to travel via cargo ship with his new wife because he believed he could be on a terror watch list, the AP reported.
Muthana similarly expressed support for the Islamic State and plotted with Bradley to go join the Islamic State’s ranks. After her arrest, Muthana waived her right to remain silent and told authorities she was willing to kill Americans for Allah, prosecutors said, according to the AP.