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Fairfax Man Charged With Supporting Somalia-Based Terrorist Group

July 22, 2010
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By Jonathan Wilson

A 20-year-old man from Fairfax County, Virginia faces charges in connection with his support for a foreign terrorist group.

Federal agents say Zachary Chesser, also known as Abu Talhah Al-Amrikee, told them that he attempted on two different occasions to travel to Somalia to join the terrorist organization al Shabaab as a foreign fighter, once traveling with his infant son in tow to help him evade scrutiny.

Chesser, who was arrested Wednesday, is charged with providing material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Al Shabaab, the group Chesser allegedly wished to join, was officially labeled a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department in 2008, and is thought to have members affiliated with al Qaeda.

Federal agents also say Chesser revealed that he has maintained several online profiles dedicated to extremist jihad propaganda.

Chesser had previously gained notoriety for issuing an online warning that the creators of the "South Park" cartoon risked death by mocking the Prophet Muhammad.

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