WASHINGTON (AFP) — Two Chicago men accused of planning "violent jihad" attacks overseas were indicted on terrorism charges in an ongoing conspiracy investigation, the US Justice Department said Friday.
A federal jury in Cleveland, Ohio, returned the latest indictment in an ongoing terrorism case, against Zubair Ahmed, 28, and his 27-year-old cousin, Khaleel Ahmed, according to documents released by the department.
It indicted them on charges of "conspiring to commit terrorist acts against Americans overseas," and of planning "kill, kidnap or maim persons outside of the United States," including US military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The two are US citizens from Chicago. They are already defendants in another pending terrorism case, the department said in a statement -- against Mohammad Zaki Amawi, who is due to go on trial in March 2008.
The indictment details evidence against the two from an FBI investigation, stating that between 2004 and 2007 they took weapons training, did bodybuilding exercises and took steroids, allegedly to prepare for attacks.
They face up to life in jail and a 250,000-dollar fine if convicted, but will likely receive smaller sentences, it said.
In the separate pending case, Amawi, a joint US-Jordanian citizen, was charged in February, along with Zubair, Khaleel and others, with trying to enter Iraq to attack US troops, according to court documents from the Justice Department.
The latest indictment adds extra charges against Khaleel and Zubair, who is accused of planning to set up a company along with Amawi to fund their plots.
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