Second man is arrested in N.Y. terror inquiry

Authorities say the pair had intended to bomb or attack New York City on behalf of Islamic State.

NEW YORK — A second college student was arrested Wednesday in the investigation of an alleged plot to stage a pressure-cooker bomb attack in New York City on behalf of the Islamic State terrorist group.

Fereed Mumuni, 21, was ordered held without bail on attempted murder charges. He is accused of attempting to kill an FBI agent with a large kitchen knife when agents tried to execute a search warrant at his Staten Island home.

He became the latest defendant in the spate of cases in the city and elsewhere involving young men and women purportedly radicalized by the militant group’s propaganda.

After his arrest, Mumuni told investigators that he had pledged allegiance to Islamic State and that he planned to travel overseas to fight with the militants, according to government papers.

If he didn’t succeed with that, “he intended to attack law enforcement officers,” the papers added.

Outside federal court in Brooklyn, defense attorney Anthony Ricco denied that Mumuni was an Islamic State convert. Ricco said his client is a practicing Muslim who attends the College of Staten Island.

The arrest surprised his family, who “know him as a quiet, soft-spoken person,” Ricco added.

On Tuesday, authorities had announced the arrest of college student Munther Omar Saleh.

Court papers called the 20-year-old Saleh a “fervent supporter” of Islamic State who wanted to attack New York. Authorities say he searched the Internet for information about pressurecooker bombs, city landmarks and tourist attractions.

There was no immediate response to a message left Wednesday with Saleh’s attorney.