DOJ: Guardsman, cousin charged with supporting ISIL
WASHINGTON -- An Illinois Army guardsman and his cousin, both accused of pledging to wage war on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq, were arrested and charged as part of an alleged conspiracy to support the terrorist group, federal prosecutors said.
One of the suspects, Illinois Army National Guard Specialist Hasan Edmonds, 22, was arrested late Wednesday night at Chicago's Midway International Airport where he was allegedly preparing to travel to Syria through Cairo to join ISIL's cause.
The other man, Jonas Edmonds, 29, also was arrested Wednesday night at his home in Aurora, Ill., after allegedly telling an undercover FBI agent that he had planned to attack an Illinois military post where Hasan Edmonds had trained. The alleged intent, Jonas Edmonds said, was to kill up to 150 people sometime after his cousin left for Syria.
Charges involving the guardsman represent the second time in less than a week that a suspect with U.S. military ties was linked to an ISIL support case.
A New Jersey Air Force veteran was charged last week with attempting to join ISIL after being turned back by Turkish authorities from an alleged planned entry to Syria.
As recently as Tuesday, the two Illinois suspects and the undercover agent drove to the military post where Edmonds had trained. During the trip, Hasan Edmonds allegedly described the interior of the installation and "which rooms they should avoid during the attack,'' according to court records.
"Hasan Edmonds also entered the installation and retrieved a military training schedule, which he then gave to Jonas Edmonds,'' the records state.
Since late last year, according to the charging documents, the two suspects repeatedly expressed their allegiance to ISIL in communications with at least two undercover agents who first engaged them through social media.
"I am already in the american kafir (infidel) army ... and now I wish only to serve in the army of Allah alongside my true brothers,'' Hasan Edmonds allegedly wrote in a January e-mail to one of the undercover agents. "I pray to just one time step foot in the land ruled by the Law of the Quran but I am content to fight and die here in the cause of Allah whenever the target is set and the order is given.''
In a separate communication later the same month, Hasan Edmonds allegedly told the undercover agent that the "hardest'' part of their planning effort was "staying under the radar.''
In an apparent reference to the risk posed by undercover government agents, he added: "Here, they hide and some even pretend to be friends ... We'd like to cause as much damage and mayhem as possible before being granted shahada (martyrdom).''
Both suspects made their initial appearances in a Chicago federal court Thursday afternoon. Their attorneys could not immediately be reached for comment.
Chicago U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon pledged an aggressive prosecution, citing ISIL's "agenda of ruthless violence.''
"Anyone who threatens to harm our citizens and allies, whether abroad or here at home, will face the full force of justice,'' Fardon said.
"Distrubingly,'' said Assistant Attorney General John Carlin, who directs the Justice Department's National Security Division, "one of the defendants currently wears the same uniform of those they allegedly planned to attack.''
If convicted, both of the suspects face maximum sentences of 15 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.