MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The FBI arrested two men in California on suspicion of attempting to travel abroad to join the Islamic State (ISIL) terrorist group, NBC News reported Friday, citing unnamed law enforcement officials.
One suspect was detained at Los Angeles International Airport, while the second was arrested in Orange County. NBC sources said that both men were unarmed and did not pose a threat to public security.
The Islamic State is a Sunni jihadist group that seized large areas in Iraq and Syria in 2014 and is notorious for human rights atrocities. ISIL recruiters actively use online propaganda to persuade Westerners join their ranks abroad or carry out attacks in their home countries.
According to the US National Counterterrorism Center, over 20,000 foreigners from 90 countries are suspected to have joined the ISIL over the last three years.
