NEW YORK — Three men were arrested Wednesday on charges of plotting to help the Islamic State group wage war against the United States, and federal officials said one of them spoke of shooting President Barack Obama or planting a bomb on Coney Island.

Akhror Saidakhmetov was arrested at Kennedy Airport, where he was attempting to board a flight to Istanbul on his way to Syria, authorities said. Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev had a ticket to travel to Istanbul next month and was arrested in Brooklyn, federal prosecutors said. The two were held without bail after a brief court appearance.

A third defendant, Abror Habibov, is accused of helping fund Saidakhmetov’s efforts to join the Islamic State group after Saidakhmetov’s mother took away his passport to try to prevent him from traveling. Habibov was ordered held without bail in Florida.

The three, who are from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, are charged with attempt and conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist organization. If convicted, each could face a maximum of 15 years in prison.

“This is real,” New York Police Department Commissioner William Bratton said. “This is the concern about the lone wolf, inspired to act without ever going to the Mideast.”