2 refugees expected in separate US courts on terror-related charges

A California man and a Texas man, both Iraqi refugees, are expected to appear in court today after they were taken into custody over accusations of associating with ISIS.

Federal authorities in Texas unsealed a three count indictment Thursday against Omar Faraj Saeed al-Hardan, 24, of Houston.

Al-Hardan, a Palestinian born in Iraq, came to the United States in 2009 as a refugee and has been living in the here under legal permanent resident status since 2011, the indictment says, adding that he was attempting to become a naturalized citizen but allegedly lied about his ties to members and sympathizers of ISIS.

He also allegedly lied about receiving weapons training on an automatic machine gun.

Al-Hardan is charged with material support of ISIS, unlawful procurement of citizenship and making false statements.

He is expected to appear in court in Texas at 11 a.m. ET.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the arrest may have “prevented a catastrophic terror-related event in the making and saved countless lives.”

“This is exactly what we have repeatedly told the Obama administration could happen and why we do not want refugees coming to Texas,” Patrick said. “There are serious questions about who these people really are, as evidenced by today’s events.

Meanwhile, Sacramento resident Aws Mohammed Younis al-Jayab, 23, was arrested on charges of making a false statement involving international terrorism, the Department of Justice said Thursday.

Al-Jayab was born in Iraq and emigrated to the United States from Syria in 2012 as a refugee, according to a criminal complaint unsealed in Sacramento. By October of that year, he allegedly expressed a desire to return to Syria to support violent jihad.

Al-Jayab then traveled to Syria to fight with terrorist organizations in the area, authorities allege.

There is no indication that he planned an act of terrorism in the United States, officials say.

If convicted, he faces eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine. There is no threat to public safety associated with this arrest, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Al-Jayab is expected to appear in court in California at 5 p.m. ET.

While neither refugee was charged with plotting an attack inside the United States, officials say they are deeply concerned about their association with ISIS. Since December, at least five U.S. suspects have been accused of ties to ISIS, including a Maryland man who was allegedly given more than $8,000 from an overseas operative for a U.S.-based attack.

Senior administration officials, including FBI Director James Comey, are expected to meet with tech leaders in Silicon Valley today to discuss encryption and ISIS’ use of social media.