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Justice Dept: Two Men Arrested in the United States for Terrorist Activities on Behalf of Hizbullah
(U.S. Department of Justice) Ali Kourani, 32, of the Bronx, New York, and Samer el Debek, 37, of Dearborn, Michigan, were arrested on Thursday, June 1, on charges related to their alleged activities on behalf of Hizbullah, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim for the Southern District of New York said: "Today, we announce serious terrorism charges against two men who allegedly trained with and supported the Islamic Jihad Organization, a component of the foreign terrorist organization Hizbullah. Recruited as Hizbullah operatives, Samer El Debek and Ali Kourani allegedly received military-style training, including in the use of weapons like rocket-propelled grenade launchers and machine guns for use in support of the group's terrorist mission." "At the direction of his Hizbullah handlers, El Debek allegedly conducted missions in Panama to locate the U.S. and Israeli Embassies and to assess the vulnerabilities of the Panama Canal and ships in the Canal. Kourani allegedly conducted surveillance of potential targets in America, including military and law enforcement facilities in New York City. Thanks to the outstanding work of the FBI and NYPD, the allegedly destructive designs of these two Hizbullah operatives have been thwarted, and they will now face justice in a Manhattan federal court."