D.C. Transit Officer Arrested for Aiding ISIS

D.C. Transit Officer Nicholas Young was arrested for aiding ISIS.

D.C. Transit Officer, Nicholas Young, Arrested for Aiding ISIS

A transit police officer from Washington D.C. was arrested Tuesday following a nearly 6 year long investigation regarding his alleged ties and affiliations to known terrorists and foreign terrorist organizations.

Nicholas Young, a 16 year veteran of the Metro Transit Police Department – the agency responsible for safeguarding our capital’s public transportation system in D.C., MD, and VA, was arrested at his Fairfax, VA home following an FBI investigation which started in 2010.

In a criminal complaint filed by Special Agent David Martinez on August 2nd, Young is alleged to have communicated with known terrorists Amine El Khalifi, and Zachary Chesser – to include face to face meetings.  During such visits, Young advised Khalifi to protect his social media accounts citing that Chesser was arrested for threats he made via social media.  Khalifi was later arrested for his plot to bomb the U.S. Capitol building and Chesser arrested for threats made in his allegiance to Al-Qaeda.

In addition to his relationships to Khalifi and Chesser, the FBI identified that Young also attempted to aid ISIS by “the purchase of gift cards for use by ISIL in obtaining mobile messaging software” purportedly to be used in their overseas recruitment effort.  However, Young had unknowingly turned these cards over to undercover FBI agents posing as ISIS affiliates.

Also noteworthy, the FBI reports that they witnessed Young make repeated threats on law enforcement.  During their investigation Young was interviewed by the FBI and under surveillance.  At one point, Young bragged to an undercover agent that he took aim with an AR-15 rifle out of his window at subjects believed to be FBI surveillance.

On another occasion, he told the undercover agent that they “should pour gas on [FBI] cars and light them”, referring again to the what he believed were surveillance vehicles.  Again, on a separate meeting with undercover agents, he expressed his anger at a recent FBI interview telling them he would locate the interviewing agent to kidnap and torture her.  He also informed an undercover agent on how to smuggle unauthorized weapons into an FBI building in order to orchestrate an attack on the agents.

According to Tuesday’s affidavit, Young also traveled to Libya on two occasions in 2011.  His express purpose was to participate in fighting against Moammar Gaddafi, the Libyan demagogue who was killed in the 2011 fighting.  Both times, Customs and Border Patrol officers located body armor, a kevlar helmet, and other military equipment in his luggage for his outbound trips.

In his personal life, Young was seen dressing as ISIS terrorist “Jihadi John” for halloween as well as expressing sympathy for the Paris ISIS attackers saying they were “misunderstood”.  Although Young had direct access to the underground tunnels and rail systems in our nation’s capital, the FBI does not cite any specific plans Young had to carry out an attack on our soil.

As we continue to follow this breaking story for emerging details, we appreciate the time and effort the FBI put into this investigation.  We are glad this terrorist supporter posing in uniform is no longer in the police ranks.  This man’s actions go against the standards and beliefs at the core of police officers across this nation.