New York man arrested at JFK for allegedly trying to join Taliban

A man from the Bronx was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Friday for allegedly trying to join the Taliban in Afghanistan, federal authorities announced.

Delowar Mohammed Hossain, 33, allegedly wanted to join the Taliban and was boarding a flight to Pakistan when he was arrested on terror-related charges, including attempting to provide material support for acts of terrorism, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.

“Hossain wanted to kill Americans, and particularly wanted to target members of our armed forces, serving our nation overseas,” U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said in a statement.{mosads}

The Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating his case. Hossain appeared in federal court in Manhattan Friday on the terror-related charges. He faces up to 15 years in prison, the DOJ said.

Federal prosecutors say that Hossain wanted to join the Taliban since last fall and he allegedly tried to recruit a confidential FBI source to join.

Authorities say Hossain had bought equipment such as walkie-talkies and trekking gear and purchased a flight to Afghanistan on Friday, but was arrested after trying to board the flight.

Taliban forces operate in about half of Afghanistan.

A spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Qatar said Thursday that he hopes there is a peace deal reached with the U.S. soon, adding that the two countries are “getting close” to an agreement that could lead to an end to hostilities in Afghanistan as the Taliban begins talks with the Afghan government.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Afghanistan earlier this month and called for “Afghan-led” and “Afghan-owned” peace talks between the Taliban and the nation’s government, despite the Taliban’s past refusal to negotiate directly with the U.S.-backed government.

The U.S. and the Taliban agreed to a preliminary peace framework in January.

Updated: 4:31 p.m.