The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that a D.C. Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) officer has been arrested on suspicion of supporting the terror network ISIS. This is the first case of a U.S. law enforcement officer facing terrorism charges. Here’s what we know:

Who Is He?

The officer’s name is Nicholas Young, and he is a 36-year-old man from Fairfax, Virginia. Young has been a MTPD officer since 2003, and has been under surveillance for suspected ties to terrorism for six years.

Breaking: Fairfax home searched, of MetroTransit cop Nicholas Young, 36 charged w attempting to help ISIS @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/AN99yIjQtB

— Peggy Fox (@PeggyTV) August 3, 2016

What Did He Do?

Young is accused of allegedly purchasing nearly $250 worth of gift cards that were intended for ISIS in order to purchase mobile messaging accounts to recruit others to join the terrorist organization.

He is also accused of making vague threats to kill FBI agents and informants or bring guns into federal court, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Washington Post. The paper writes, “Young allegedly threatened to kidnap and torture an agent who interviewed him, and leave the head of anyone who betrayed him in a cinder block at the bottom of a Virginia lake.”

How Long Has He Been on the FBI’s Radar?

According to the DOJ’s statements, Young has been on the FBI’s radar since 2010. Here is a rough timeline of his encounters with the FBI:

• In 2010, Young was interviewed by law enforcement about his relationship with Zachary Chesser, who later pled guilty to supporting a foreign terrorist organization and making threats against the creators of “South Park” for writing an episode about Islam he disliked.
• In 2011, Young traveled to Libya one time and attempted to travel a second time. He also had several meetings with an undercover law enforcement officer, many of which were with Amine El Khalifi, who later pled guilty to planning to conduct a suicide bombing at the U.S. Capitol Building in 2012.
• In 2014, Young met approximately 20 times with an FBI informant, who he advised how to travel overseas to join the Islamic State and evade detection.
• In 2016, he contacted the same FBI informant about purchasing the gift cards for ISIS.

Is Metro Safe?

According to authorities, there was never any credible or specific threat to the Metro system. MTPD officials initiated this investigation and have been working closely with the FBI throughout the case. Metro Transit Police Chief Ron Pavlik said in a statement.

This investigation began with concerns that were reported by the Metro Transit Police Department, and it reinforces that, as citizens, we all have a duty to report suspicious activity whenever and wherever it occurs.

Young was terminated from the MTPD Wednesday morning after his arrest.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post How did a D.C. Metro Cop Become First U.S. Officer to Face ISIS Charges? appeared first on Law Street.

The Vineland-Bridgeton New Jersey metro area is the number one most dangerous metro in the Northeast United States in 2014. According to the latest crime data from the FBI, which covers calendar year 2013, the Vineland-Bridgeton metro had a violent crime rate of 540 per 100,000 people. Bangor, Maine metro ranks at #1 safest in the Northeast with a violent crime rate of 91 per 100,000 people. All of the Top 10 Safest Metros in the Northeast were located in Maine, Pennsylvania, and New York. More than 16 percent of the violent crimes that occurred in the United States overall were committed in the Northeast, which holds nearly 18 percent of the country’s population. Check out the rankings below to see the Top 10 Safest and Top 10 Most Dangerous metro areas across the Northeast. All rates below are calculated per 100,000 people. Click here to read more information about Metropolitan Statistical Areas and these rankings.

READ MORE: 2015 CRIME RANKINGS FOR THE MIDWEST, THE WEST, AND THE SOUTH

READ MORE: SLIDESHOW: TOP 15 MOST DANGEROUS METROS IN THE UNITED STATES

READ MORE: CRIME MAP OF THE UNITED STATES

TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS METROS IN THE NORTHEAST

#1 Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #42
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 540
– Murder: 3
– Rape: 26
– Robbery: 241
– Aggravated Assault: 270
Population: 158,281

The Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ metro area includes: Cumberland County in New Jersey, as well as the cities of Vineland and Bridgeton.

#2 Springfield, MA Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #54
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 522
– Murder: 5
– Rape: 52
– Robbery: 145
– Aggravated Assault: 320
Population: 628,316

The Springfield, MA metro area includes: Hampden and Hampshire counties in Massachusetts, as well as the the city of Springfield.

Springfield, Massachusetts is ranked the #6 most dangerous city with a population under 200,000 in 2015.

#3 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #63
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 498
– Murder: 7
– Rape: 36
– Robbery: 198
– Aggravated Assault: 257
Population: 6,036,138

The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area includes: the Metropolitan Divisions of Camden, New Jersey; Montgomery, Bucks, and Chester counties in Pennsylvania, as well as the city of Philadelphia; and Wilmington, Delaware.

#4 Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #87
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 444
– Murder: 3
– Rape: 14
– Robbery: 188
– Aggravated Assault: 239
Population: 276,095

The Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ metro area includes: Atlantic County in New Jersey, as well as the cities of Atlantic City and Hammonton.

#5 Barnstable Town, MA Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #90
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 436
– Murder: 0.9
– Rape: 41
– Robbery: 36
– Aggravated Assault: 358
Population: 215,847

The Barnstable Town, MA metro area includes: Barnstable County in Massachusetts, as well as the city of Barnstable.

#6 Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #95
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 430
– Murder: 5
– Rape: 21
– Robbery: 154
– Aggravated Assault: 250
Population: 1,135,074

The Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagra Falls, NY metro area includes: Erie and Niagara counties in New York, as well as the cities of Buffalo, Cheektowaga Town, and Niagara Falls.

#7 Worcester, MA-CT Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #96
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 422
– Murder: 2
– Rape: 31
– Robbery: 82
– Aggravated Assault: 308
Population: 852,899

The Worcester, MA-CT metro area includes: Windham County, Connecticut; and Worcester County and the city of Worcester in Massachusetts.

#8 Trenton, NJ Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #103
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 411
– Murder: 11
– Rape: 8
– Robbery: 186
– Aggravated Assault: 206
Population: 369,292

The Trenton, NJ metro area includes: Mercer County and the city of Trenton in New Jersey.

#9 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #116
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 390
– Murder: 4
– Rape: 10
– Robbery: 156
– Aggravated Assault: 221
Population: 19,936,617

The New York-Newark-New Jersey, NY-NJ-PA metro area includes: the Metropolitan Divisions of Dutchess County-Putnam County, New York; Nassau County-Suffolk County, New York; Newark, NJ-PA; and New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ, as well as the cities of New York and White Plains in New York; and Newark, Jersey City, New Brunswick, and Lakewood Township in New Jersey.

Newark, New Jersey is ranked the #9 most dangerous city with a population over 200,000 in 2015.

#10 New Haven-Milford, CT Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #122
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 385
– Murder: 3
– Rape: 19
– Robbery: 167
– Aggravated Assault: 195
Population: 808,809

The New Haven-Milford, CT metro area includes: New Haven County in Connecticut, as well as the cities of New Haven and Milford.

New Haven, Connecticut is ranked the #3 most dangerous city with a population under 200,000 in 2015.

TOP 10 SAFEST METROS IN THE NORTHEAST

#1 Bangor, ME Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 91
– Murder: 4
– Rape: 15
– Robbery: 37
– Aggravated Assault: 36
Population: 153,530

The Bangor, ME metro area includes: Penobscot County in Maine, as well as the city of Bangor.

#2 State College, PA Metro Area

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Violent Crime: 93
Murder: 0
Rape: 24
Robbery: 15
Aggravated Assault: 54
Population: 155,409

The State College, PA metro area includes: Centre County, Pennsylvania, as well as the city of State College.

#3 Glens Falls, NY Metro Area

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Rate/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 98
– Murder: 0.8
– Rape: 13
– Robbery: 10
– Aggravated Assault: 75
Population: 128,459

The Glens Falls, NY metro area includes: Warren and Washington Counties in New York, as well as city of Glens Falls.

#4 Gettysburg, PA Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 99
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 25
– Robbery: 17
– Aggravated Assault: 57
Population: 101,443

The Gettysburg, PA metro area includes: Adams County in Pennsylvania, as well as the city of Gettysburg.

#5 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 118
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 12
– Robbery: 15
– Aggravated Assault: 91
Population: 121,663

The Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area includes: Jefferson County in New York, as well as the city of Watertown.

#6 Lewiston-Auburn, ME Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 144
– Murder: 0.9
– Rape: 43
– Robbery: 34
– Aggravated Assault: 67
Population: 107,469

The Lewiston-Auburn, ME metro area includes: Androscoggin County in Maine, as well as the cities of Lewiston and Auburn.

#7 Portland-South Portland, ME Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 146
– Murder: 1
– Rape: 29
– Robbery: 34
– Aggravated Assault: 81
Population: 518,977

The Portland-South Portland, ME metro area includes: Cumberland, Sagadahoc, and York counties in Maine, as well as the cities of Portland and South Portland.

#8 Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 152
– Murder: 3
– Rape: 23
– Robbery: 53
– Aggravated Assault: 73
Population: 151,646

The Chambersburg-Waynesburo, PA metro area includes: Franklin County in Pennsylvania, as well as the cities of Chambersburg and Waynesboro.

#9 Kingston, NY Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 162
– Murder: 2
– Rape: 17
– Robbery: 29
– Aggravated Assault: 114
Population: 181,804

The Kingston, NY metro area includes Ulster County in New York, as well as the city of Kingston.

#10 Elmira, NY Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 170
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 8
– Robbery: 42
– Aggravated Assault: 120
Population: 89,040

The Elmira, NY metro area includes: Chemung County in New York, as well as the city of Elmira.

The Office of Management and Budget began delineating Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the 1950s in order to provide an established level of analysis for government reports and statistics. MSAs are characterized as having an urban core with more than 50,000 people and surrounding areas that have close social and economic integration. The FBI does not provide data on all of the 388 MSAs defined by the Office of Management and Budget. Click here to see the FBI’s explanation for why all MSAs are not included. MSAs are organized by counties or their equivalent. All statistics in Law Street’s Crime in America metro rankings are presented as rates per 100,000 people, and they are taken from the FBI’s annual Crime in the United States publication section on metropolitan statistical areas. To see the FBI’s data click here.

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Research and analysis by Law Street’s Crime in America Team: Kevin Rizzo, Alexis Evans, Chelsey Goff, Anneliese Mahoney.

CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL CRIME IN AMERICA 2015 COVERAGE, INCLUDING THE SAFEST & MOST DANGEROUS CITIES AND STATES.

Kevin Rizzo

Kevin Rizzo is the Crime in America Editor at Law Street Media. An Ohio Native, the George Washington University graduate is a founding member of the company. Contact Kevin at krizzo@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest & Most Dangerous Northeast Metros appeared first on Law Street.