A man who lived in Overland Park in 2007, Asif Ahmed Salim, 35, was one of four persons indicted today for allegedly providing support to Al Qaeda, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
The charges against Salim and three other people living in Ohio were conspiracy to provide and conceal material support and resources to terrorists, providing material support and resources to terrorists and conspiracy to obstruct justice, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
The other three indicted were Yahya Farooq Mohammad, 37; Ibrahim Zubair Mohammad, 36; and Sultane Room Salim, 40. Farooq Mohammad and Ibrahim Mohammad both face an additional count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
Asif Salim was a U.S. citizen who studied at Ohio State University between 2000 and 2005. He became a resident of Overland Park, Kan., in 2007. His brother, Sultane Salim, is also a U.S. citizen who resided in the Chicago-area from 2006 through 2012, until he moved to the Columbus area.
“According to the allegations in the indictment, Farooq Mohammad, Ibrahim Mohammad, Asif Salim and Sultane Salim conspired to provide and did provide material support to Anwar Al-Awlaki in response to his calls to support violent jihad,” said Assistant Attorney General John P. Carlin. “The National Security Division’s highest priority is counterterrorism and we will continue to pursue justice against those who seek to provide material support to terrorists.”
“The charges in this case outline a plan to send thousands of dollars to a known terrorist, a plan which came to fruition shortly before one of the most notorious attempted attacks in recent memory – an attack supported by that same terrorist,” said U.S. Attorney Steven M. Dettelbach of Ohio. “This indictment is a testament to the perseverance of those who stand watch over our nation and is a clear message to those who support terrorism – we will not forget and you will face justice.”
“In today’s world, Kansas is not far removed from the battlefields of the war on terror,” said U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom. “We will do everything in our power to prevent funding and material support from finding its way from the heart of America to terrorists in foreign lands.”
“These individuals conspired and then acted on their radical beliefs by providing support to a known terrorist organization,” said Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony of the FBI’s Cleveland division. “The identification of their conspiracy and the subsequent investigation demonstrate how members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force continue to work with our international law enforcement partners to mitigate terrorist’s threats in order to protect our citizens.”