Two N.J. men arrested at JFK airport before boarding plane to join Islamist terrorist group

Two New Jersey men intent on killing American troops were arrested Saturday as they boarded flights to join an Islamist terrorist group in Somalia, authorities said.

The men were charged with conspiring to commit an act of international terrorism through a group tied to Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda network, according to officials.

Mohamed Hamoud Alessa, 20, of North Bergen, and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, 26, of Elmwood Park, were apprehended at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York before they could board separate flights to Egypt, where they were to start journeys to Somalia. The men were arrested by state and federal law enforcement agents who have been investigating the pair since October 2006, according to the report by CNN.

Late Saturday night, the state homeland security agency confirmed a police action at the airport but gave few details.

“Two individuals were arrested at JFK in connection with an ongoing investigation. At this time, we can provide no further details because the investigation is ongoing. The arrests do not relate to an immediate threat,” said Jose Lozano, a spokesman for the state Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.

U.S. Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Rebekah Carmichael issued a similar statement, saying “the arrests do not relate to any known immediate threat to the public or active plot against the United States.”