The suspects — identified as Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, 24, Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, and Abror Habibov, 30 — are charged with providing material support to ISIS, authorities said.
Law enforcement officials say the trio was plotting to flee to Syria, but eventually return to the Big Apple to wage "jihad" and commit a domestic act of terror if they had failed to link up with the terrorists overseas.
Officials say the potential of a homegrown threat being carried out in the city was aspirational, not operational. Authorities ultimately stepped in because they believed the suspects’ plans to head to Syria were imminent after online communications between the group had raised alarms.
Though the exchange was not specified, officials added that their alleged intent to join ISIS was very real, NBC reports.
In January, ISIS Vice leader Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani purportedly released disturbing audio recordings calling for “lone wolf” terror attacks and urging extremists to wage “volcanoes of jihad.”