Characters from the popular television comedy series South Park --Reuters
Zachary Chesser, who made controversial statements regarding the creators of South Park last spring, has been arrested on unrelated charges after allegedly attempting to join a terror group connected with al-Qaeda.
He was arrested as he tried to board a flight to Uganda, as he is on the no-fly list and was alleged to be joining the Somali terror group al-Shabab. Chesser has tried to fly to Somalia on two previous occasions, but was stopped both times.
The 20-year-old man from Virginia has been on the authorities’ radar for a while now and re-sparked their attention in April, when he posted threatening comments online towards the creators of South Park for depicting the prophet Muhammad, opining that they could be killed for the cartoon. (Chesser claims his comments were not meant as a threat, only “a warning.”)
Recent bombings in Uganda are believed to be the work of al-Shabab. Chesser is due to appear in federal court on Thursday. (via Associated Press)