NEW YORK - A New York man was arrested Friday for allegedly conspiring to join al-Qaeda, according to media reports.
Marcos Alonso Zea, 25, was said to be the second of a pair of "wannabe jihadists" arrested as they attempted to make plans to join the terror organization in Yemen. Justin Kaliebe, 18, was arrested at JFK Airport in January.
"Despite being born and raised in the United States, Zea allegedly betrayed his country and attempted to travel to Yemen in order to join a terrorist organization and commit murder," Brooklyn US Attorney Loretta Lynch said.
Zea was born in the United States to parents of Colombian and Guatemalan origins, and drew the attention of the FBI and New York Police Department (NYPD) after he made a failed attempt to travel to Yemen last year, but only made it as far as the UK, according to Long Island Federal Court documents. His goal was to kill supporters of the current Yemeni government.
Investigators found articles from the al-Qaeda magazine "Inspire" and web searches such as "How to make disposable silencers" and "The Anarchist Cookbook" on Zea's computer, despite his attempts to destroy his hard drive.
If convicted of the five counts of conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country, providing material support to a terrorist organization and obstruction of justice, Zea could face life in prison.