Terror sting at JFK

From the NY Post:

Two New Jersey men allegedly bent on waging holy war against the US were arrested last night at JFK airport as they prepared to board separate flights to Egypt to join an Al Qaeda-linked group, according to a report.

Federal and local authorities, including the NYPD, also raided the North Bergen home of Mohamed Hamoud Alessa, 20, and the Elmwood Park residence of Carlos Eduardo Almonte, 26, the Newark Star-Ledger said.

The suspects were nabbed as they walked onto the jetway boarding ramps for separate flights. The arrests had been planned for days, according to the report.

Sources said that the suspects' families dropped the dime on their relatives after they grew concerned about their increasingly radical beliefs.

The men had reportedly led fairly normal lives until recently, but boasted that they wanted to wage holy war against the US both here and abroad.

In the past few months, the duo had saved thousands of dollars, worked-out, practiced tactical maneuvers at local paintball fields and bought gear and apparel they would use to fight Americans overseas.

The would-be terrorists, who have been eyed by authorities since October 2006, eventually planned to goto Somalia where they would join al Shabaab, a youth-terror network with links to al Qaeda, the report said.