Feds: NYC man tried to stab agent during ISIS-related probe
NEW YORK -- A second college student was arrested Wednesday in the investigation of an alleged plot to stage a pressure-cooker bomb attack in New York City on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Fereed Mumuni, 21, was ordered held without bail on attempted murder charges that accuse him of trying to kill an FBI agent with a large kitchen knife when agents tried to execute a search warrant at his Staten Island home.
CBS New York reports that Mumuni also allegedly tried to grab another agent's rifle during the incident.
He became the latest defendant in the spate of cases in the city and elsewhere involving young men and women allegedly radicalized by the militant group's propaganda.
After his arrest, Mumuni told investigators he had pledged allegiance to ISIS and that he planned to travel overseas to fight with the militants, according to government papers. If he didn't succeed with that, "he intended to attack law enforcement officers," the papers added.
Outside federal court in Brooklyn, defense attorney Anthony Ricco denied that Mumuni was an ISIS convert. Ricco said his client is a practicing Muslim who attends the College of Staten Island.
The arrest surprised his family, who "know him as a quiet, soft-spoken person," Ricco added.
On Tuesday, authorities announced the arrest of college student Munther Omar Saleh.
Court papers called the 20-year-old Saleh a "fervent supporter" of the Islamic State who wanted to attack New York. Authorities say he searched the Internet for information about pressure-cooker bombs, city landmarks and tourist attractions.
There was no immediate response to a message left Wednesday with Saleh's attorney.
Long time family friend Sherrell Jordan told CBS New York's Marcia Kramer that she noticed a dramatic change in Saleh six months ago and knew something was up.
"I noticed some changes in his appearance," she said. "About a year ago, he was very friendly and outgoing, but the last six months, he changed his appearance, grew a beard, shaved his head and his demeanor was totally different now, more dogmatic."
Federal authorities accuse Saleh of preparing an explosive device, possibly a pressure cooker bomb like the one used at the Boston Marathon, to detonate in the New York metropolitan area.
But Saleh's father stands by his son.
"They were setting him up with the informants and they should know," he told CBS New York's Jessica Schneider. "I'm not going to say anything else but that."