Two Southern California men pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of conspiring to travel to the Middle East to join the militant group Islamic State, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The arrests last month of Anaheim residents Muhanad Badawi and Nader Elhuzayel, both 24, are among a string of cases showing a crackdown by U.S. authorities on individuals they believe are seeking to join the group.
The pair pleaded not guilty to the charge of conspiring “to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization” filed in federal court in Orange County, California, the Los Angeles Times reported.
On May 3, Elhuzayel tweeted his support for two men who that day attacked an exhibit of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in Garland, Texas, and were shot to death by police, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
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