Arizona woman arrested at Sky Harbor, accused of helping al-Qaida
Jul 24, 2020, 1:30 PM | Updated: Jul 25, 2020, 1:52 pm
General view of the sunset over Sky Harbor Airport from Sun Devil Stadium before the college football game between the Arizona State Sun Devils and the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks on September 19, 2008 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX — An Arizona woman was arrested at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on Wednesday for allegedly attempting to aid al-Qaida, authorities said.
According to a press release from the FBI, Jill Marie Jones was in contact with two undercover employees, one of whom she believed to already be a member of the terrorist group.
Jones agreed to send the purported al-Qaida member money to purchase scopes for rifles intended to be used by the terrorist organization to kill American soldiers, authorities said.
One of those payments included a $500 prepaid gift card that was sent in May 2020.
The undercover employees also discovered Jones’ intention to travel overseas in order to further assist al-Qaida after she bought plane tickets to join the terrorist group in Afghanistan.
But due to the airport closures because of the coronavirus pandemic, Jones changed course and elected to travel to Turkey instead, where she intended to go to Syria thereafter.
Jones was arrested by FBI agents after checking in for her flight.
Al-Qaida is the foreign terrorist organization that conducted the 9/11 attacks under the command of Osama bin Laden.
