Alleged Jihad Magazine Editor Faces Charges

A federal grand jury has convened in Charlotte to consider terrorism charges against Samir Khan, the 24-year-old North Carolina man believed to be behind al-Qaeda’s English-language online magazine. Charges being considered include material support to a terrorist organization and conspiracy to commit murder overseas, sources tell NPR. The FBI, which won’t confirm the grand jury’s existence, has been pumping Charlotte’s Muslim community for information about Khan.

“They were asking for more information than would be reasonable for anyone to know about this guy,” says one man who knew Khan in passing. Khan, a US citizen, is suspected of running “Inspire," which NPR describes as, "like Cosmo magazine for Jihadis," with snappy articles on, for example, what to pack for Jihad. He flew to Yemen last October, and hasn't been heard from since. Intelligence officials say he was inducted into al-Qaeda by Anwar al-Awlaki. (More Samir Khan stories.)