A Boise man appears in federal court at 8:30 Friday morning on terrorism charges. He was arrested Thursday in Boise at an apartment complex near Borah High School.
Wendy Olson is the U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho. She says the suspect is a national of the central Asian nation of Uzbekistan and legally in the U. S.
“Fazladdin Kurbanov who is 30 years old was arrested as part of a federal terrorism investigation. Federal terrorism charges were filed both here and in the district of Utah in Salt Lake City.”
The arrest comes after an investigation by the FBI out of Salt Lake City and the Joint Terrorism Task Force. That includes several federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in Idaho and Utah.
Kurbanov’s Idaho indictment has three counts. The first two are conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization. Olson says that terrorist organization is the Islamist Movement of Uzbekistan.
“It’s an extremist organization whose stated goals are to overthrow the Uzbek regime and establish and Islamic state,” Olson says.
The final count in the Idaho indictment is possessing an unregistered destructive device. Olson says Kurbanov had parts that could be quickly assembled into an explosive.
“Specifically a hollow hand grenade, a hobby fuse, aluminum powder, potassium nitrate and sulfur,” she says.
Kurbanov is also charged in Utah with distribution of information related to explosive destructive devises and weapons of mass destruction. Investigators allege he was in Utah last January and taught people how to make and use explosives. The hearing Friday takes place in Boise’s McClure Federal building.
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