A Tunisian man has been arrested in New York and accused of trying to stay in the U.S. illegally to build a terrorism cell.

Authorities say Ahmed Abassi came to the United States from Canada in mid-March, meeting regularly with an undercover FBI agent. They say he also met with another Tunisian citizen who was later arrested in Canada in a terrorist plot to derail a train.

The federal indictment against Abassi was unsealed today. Law enforcement authorities say he was arrested on April 22. He was arraigned a week ago on visa fraud charges.

Authorities say Abassi was seeking to remain in the U.S. to commit acts of terrorism and to develop a network of terrorists.

Two Canadian residents Raed Jaser, 35 of Toronto, and Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, of Montreal already face terrorism-related charges in what the RCMP have called a plot guided by al-Qaida elements in Iran.