Karrem Nasr, a 24-year-old U.S. citizen from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, has pled guilty to attempting to provide material support to al Shabaab, a designated foreign terrorist organization. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres.
U.S. Attorney Danielle R. Sassoon stated: "Karrem Nasr devoted himself to waging violent jihad against America and its allies." She explained that Nasr was inspired by the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack in Israel and traveled from Egypt to Kenya intending to join al Shabaab.
Court documents reveal that since at least November 2023, Nasr expressed his desire to join al Shabaab and wage jihad. He communicated with an FBI confidential source posing as a facilitator for terrorist organizations. In these exchanges, he referred to America as "evil" and "the head of the snake," warning of impending jihad on social media.
Nasr made travel arrangements to meet al Shabaab members in Kenya and planned further travel into Somalia for military training. Before departing Egypt on December 14, 2023, he informed the confidential source of his intention to delete data from his devices to prevent law enforcement from recovering evidence.
Upon arriving in Kenya, Nasr was taken into custody by local authorities on December 14 and returned to the United States on December 28.
Nasr's guilty plea carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for June 30, 2025.
The case involved collaboration between various agencies including the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Kenyan Directorate of Criminal Investigations, and other international partners. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Camille L. Fletcher, Kimberly J. Ravener, Stephen Ritchin, and Trial Attorney Jennifer Burke are leading the prosecution.
