Americans’ participation in islamic extremism
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8 hour workshop on American born terrorists. This presentation covers 40 Americans that chose to join 4 well-known jihadist terror groups. Three case studies (folders with documents that cover 4 of the terrorists with cases that raise doubts on their guilt) are used to make this class interactive
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Americans’ participation in islamic extremism
- 3. Al-Awlaki was born in New Mexico in 1971 to parents from Yemen, while his father, Nasser al-Awlaki, was doing graduate work at US universities. Allegiance: al-Qaeda Anwar al-Awlaki also spelled al-Aulaqi, al- Awlaqi; Arabic: يقولعال رونأ Anwaral-‘Awlaq ;ī
- 4. A Muslim with Jewish grandparents, Gadahn was born in California, moved to Pakistan in 1998. He served as Osama bin Laden’s media adviser and spokesman. Allegiance: al- Qaeda Adam Gadahn
- 5. Hamdi was born in Louisiana in 1980, while his Saudi father worked in the oil industry there. He grew up in Saudi Arabia. Allegiance: al-Qaeda Yaser Esam Hamdi
- 6. Jose Padilla, a former Chicago gang member and a convert to Islam who is being held as an enemy combatant amid allegations he sought to detonate a radiological "dirty bomb" and blow up apartment buildings in the United States. Allegiance: al-Qaeda José Padilla, also known as Abdullah al- Muhajir or Muhajir Abdullah
- 11. Published on Mar 21, 2013
- 12. Had a history of recruiting American terrorists. Born in Alabama to a Southern Baptist mother and a Sunni Muslim from Syria. Allegiance: Al-Shabaab Omar Hammami, was known as Abu Mansoor al-Amriki, or “the American.”
- 13. Jehad Mostafa is being sought for his alleged terrorist activities and acting as an operating member of al- Shabaab, a Somalia-based terrorist organization, as a training camp instructor and a leader of foreign fighters. Born: December 28, 1981 (age 33),Waukesha, WI. Allegiance: Al-Shabaab Jehad Mostafa, Aliases: Emir Anwar Ahmed Gurey, Anwar al-Amriki,"Ahmed" , "Anwar"
- 15. Published on September 23, 2013 Published on January 3, 2014
- 16. David Coleman Headley is an American terrorist of Pakistani origin, and a spy who conspired with the Lashkar-e-Taiba Islamist organization and Pakistani intelligence officers in plotting the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Allegiance: Lashkar- e-Tayyiba (LT) David Coleman Headley, born DaoodSayed Gilani, 55
- 18. Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud, 23, U.S citizen born in Somalia, and traveled last year to Syria where he met up with the Nusra Front. The goal was to follow in his big brother's footsteps. Allegiance: al Nusra Abdirahman-Sheik-Mohamud
- 19. A naturalized American citizen living in Saudi Arabia, was charged with attempting to provide material support to Nusra in Syria by facilitating the recruitment of experienced fighters from al Qaeda's Somali affiliate to travel to Syria. Allegiance: al Nusra Gufran Ahmed Kauser Mohammed, 31
- 20. Sinh Vinh Ngo Nguyen, who changed his name to Hasan Abu Omar Ghannoum when he converted to Islam is an American citizen from southern California, pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to provide material support to al Qaeda. Allegiance: al NusraSinh Vinh Ngo Nguyen
- 21. North Carolina man, was arrested in November 2013 at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina while allegedly trying to fly to Lebanon in order to join Nusra. He awaits trial. Allegiance: al Nusra Basit Sheikh
- 23. Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was sentenced to death Wednesday for killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Tex., the worst mass murder at a military installation in U.S. history. Allegiance: UnknownNidal Hasan, 43
- 24. Amir Meshal, who Homeland Security identifies as a terror suspect who is on the “No Fly” list, now has his Class A commercial license, which will allow him to drive semi-trucks. The $4,000 tuition was paid for through the state workforce program. Allegiance: UnknownAmir Meshal
- 25. Witnesses saw Abdulazeez spray a hail of bullets at the glass doors of a military recruiting center in a strip mall. He rammed into a gate at some point during his shooting rampage and was eventually killed by police, a U.S. official said. Allegiance: Unknown Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez
- 26. “Eric Harroun became a jihadist just after 10 PM on a crisp January night in 2013. The 30-year-old American was in northern Syria, Eric's role in the battle lasted 10 minutes. A few months later, Eric would be sitting in a Virginia prison informed the US government planned to put him to death for what he'd done.” Eric Harroun, 30
- 27. March 2013
- 29. From California, was arrested in March 2014 while allegedly traveling to join ISIS. Teausant pleaded not guilty and awaits trial. Allegiance: ISIS/ISIL Nicholas Teausant, 20
- 30. If he ever gets out of jail, the 20-year-old Green Township man accused of plotting to plant pipe bombs in the U.S. Capitol “would put bullets in President Obama's head.” Allegiance: ISIS/ISIL Christopher Cornell, 20
- 32. NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 18: An armed U.S. Marshal stands outside of a U.S. Federal court during the arraignment of Tairod Pugh, a former U.S. Air Force mechanic accused of attempting to join the terrorist organization ISIS, on March 18, 2015 in New York City. Allegiance: ISIS/ISIL Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, 47
- 33. A former resident of Bergen County, New Jersey, was arrested this morning for allegedly conspiring and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Allegiance: ISIS/ISIL Nader Saadeh JULY 29, 2015
- 34. Posted “selfies” on Facebook wearing the dark head and face scarves favored by Islamic State fighters. According to court filings, they were captioned: “Which assassin am I, or am I all of them?” Allegiance: ISIS/ISIL Samuel Topaz
- 35. He began scouting out New York City landmarks and tourist sites. They said he was planning on assembling a deadly pressure cooker bomb. Allegiance: ISIS/ISIL Munther Omar Saleh, 20
- 36. Described by neighbors as a quiet, friendly guy who “never talked about politics or anything,” before he came at federal agents with a kitchen carving knife when they showed up to arrest him. Allegiance: ISIS/ISILFareed Mumuni, 21
- 37. Rahim posed an imminent threat to public safety, the FBI claimed, pointing out he was brandishing a large knife at the time he was shot. Allegiance: ISIS/ISIL Usaama Rahim, 26
- 42. Was arrested today at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, where he was attempting to board a flight to Istanbul. Allegiance: ISIS/ISIL Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19 March 2015
- 43. “I am in USA now … But is it possible to commit ourselves as dedicated martyrs anyway while here? What I’m saying is, to shoot Obama and then get shot ourselves, will it do? That will strike fear in the hearts of infidels.” Allegiance: ISIS/ISIL Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, 24 March 2015
- 44. Habibov was arraigned in Jacksonville, Florida. His alleged accomplices appeared in federal court in Brooklyn. All three were detained. Allegiance: ISIS/ISIL Abror Habibov, 30 March 2015
- 45. First American suicide bomber known to have died in Syria. Allegiance: ISIS/ISIL Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha
- 46. Was arrested at John Wayne Airport while allegedly attempting to travel to join ISIS. Allegiance: ISIS/ISIL Adam Dandach, 20 Mar 23, 2015
- 47. Pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization by traveling to Syria to fight with ISIS. Allegiance: ISIS/ISIL Michael Todd Wolfe, 23 February 2, 2014
- 48. Yusuf was stopped by the FBI from boarding a flight to Turkey from Minneapolis/Saint Paul Airport in May. Yusuf and Abdi Nur were charged in late November with conspiring to aid ISIS. Abdullah Yusuf, 18
- 49. With Abdullah Yusuf, Abdi Nur, was charged in absentia, because he is believed to be currently fighting for the terror group ISIS in Syria. Allegiance: ISIS/ISIL Abdi Nur, 20
- 50. The Stoughton, Massachusetts, man was first placed on the FBI terror list for 2009 crimes but since has been suspected of joining ISIS, officials said.Ahmad Abousamra, 33 Jun 3, 2015
- 51. American Douglas McAuthur McCain Dies Fighting for ISIS in Syria. McCain is the first American known to have been killed while fighting for ISIS. Allegiance: ISIS/ISIL Douglas McAuthur McCain, 33
- 52. Morgan attempted to travel from Lebanon to Syria to join ISIS and used social media to express his support for the terrorist group, authorities said. Allegiance: ISIS/ISIL Donald Ray Morgan, AKA Nasser AbdulRaheem, 44
- 53. Elfgeeh said he wanted the guns to carry out shootings and suggested he might also targets U.S. military personnel returning from the Middle East Allegiance: ISIS/ISIL Mufid A. Elfgeeh
- 56. Was arrested at Denver International Airport as she was about to embark on a journey to Germany and eventually to an ISIS camp near the Turkish border. Shannon Maureen Conley, 19
- 57. From Michigan to a violent death in Syria Mansfield, a Michigan woman, was killed in Syria in 2013, reportedly during a military clash. Nicole Mansfield, 33
Editor's Notes
- (total time) 3-5 hours on American Participation in Islamic Extremism 132 minutes of short videos throughout 45 minute video may be used (Omar Hammami) 30 minute video may be used for exercise (Usaama Rahim story) 11 minute video may be used (Nicole Mansfield) 30 minute in class exercise on Usaama Rahim. Did Usaama’s crime warrant his death? 15 minute to 30 minute on Eric Harroun. Would you classify Eric as a terrorist? Do you feel more sympathy for the girls/women that are sucked into the ISIS hype?
- Anwar al-Awlaki (3 minute video) Anwar al-Awlaki (al OWL-ah-kee) was born in New Mexico, His father was a Fulbright Scholar working on his MS and PHD and ultimately ended up at the University of Minnesota from 1975 to 1977 The family returned to Yemen in 1978, when al-Awlaki was seven years old. He lived there for 11 years, and then returned to the U.S. for college and graduate school. He then practiced as an imam in California and Virginia, where he interacted with three of the 9/11 hijackers. He also allegedly communicated with Major Nidal Hasan (we will cover him later in the presention) before the Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 soldiers, and is suspected of engineering the failed plot to bring down a jetliner over Detroit. He led something of a double life in the United States. Outwardly a conservative religious man, he also frequented prostitutes, and his numerous encounters were followed by the F.B.I. He became the first United States citizen to be targeted and killed in a United States CIA drone strike. Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, was killed by a U.S. drone strike two weeks later. In April 2010, US President Barack Obama placed al-Awlaki on a list of people whom the US Central Intelligence Agency were authorized to kill because of terrorist activities. The US deployed unmanned aircraft (drones) in Yemen to search for and kill him,[39] firing at and failing to kill him at least once,[40] before succeeding on September 30, 2011.[15] Two weeks later, al-Awlaki's 16-year-old son, Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, a US citizen who was born in Denver, was killed by a CIA-led drone strike in Yemen. In the United States; 1990–2002 In 1991, al-Awlaki returned to the US to attend college. He earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University (1994), where he was president of the Muslim Student Association.[51] He attended the university on a foreign student visa and a government scholarship from Yemen, claiming to be born in that country, according to a former US security agent.[52] In 1993, while still a college student in Colorado State's civil engineering program, al-Awlaki visited Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Soviet occupation. He spent some time training with the mujahedeen who were fighting the Soviets. He was depressed by the country's poverty and hunger. In 1998 and 1999, he served as vice-president for the Charitable Society for Social Welfare. In 2004, the FBI described this group as a "front organization to funnel money to terrorists. In January 2001 al-Awlaki returned to the US, settling in the Washington Metropolitan Area. There, he served as imam at the Dar al-Hijrah mosque near Falls Church, Virginia. He led academic discussions frequented by FBI Director of Counter-Intelligence for the Middle East Gordon M. Snow. Al-Awlaki also served as the Muslim chaplain at George Washington University. Six days after the 9/11 attacks, al-Awlaki suggested in writing on the IslamOnline.net website that Israeli intelligence agents might have been responsible for the attacks, and that the FBI "went into the roster of the airplanes, and whoever has a Muslim or Arab name became the hijacker by default". Soon after the 9/11 attacks, al-Awlaki was sought in Washington, DC by the media to answer questions about Islam, its rituals, and its relation to the attacks. He was interviewed by National Geographic, The New York Times, and other media. Al-Awlaki condemned the attacks. According to an NPR report in 2010, in 2001 al-Awlaki appeared to be a moderate who could "bridge the gap between the United States and the worldwide community of Muslims The New York Times said at the time that he was "held up as a new generation of Muslim leader capable of merging East and West.“ In June 2002, a Denver federal judge signed an arrest warrant for al-Awlaki for passport fraud, Al-Awlaki had listed Yemen rather than the United States as his place of birth on his 1990 application for a US Social Security number, soon after arriving in the US. Prosecutors could not charge him in October 2002, when he returned from a trip abroad, because a 10-year statute of limitations on lying to the Social Security Administration had expired. The New York Times suggested later that al-Awlaki had claimed birth in Yemen (his family's place of origin) to qualify for scholarship money granted to foreign citizens.[51] US Congressman Frank R. Wolf (R-VA) wrote in May 2010 that by claiming to be foreign-born, al-Awlaki fraudulently obtained more than $20,000 in scholarship funds reserved for foreign students.[98]
- Adam Pearlman Gadahn (video 1:32) (video 1:27) A Muslim with Jewish grandparents, Gadahn was born in California and moved to Pakistan in 1998. He began appearing in al-Qaeda videos in 2004, and subsequently released many videos praising the 9/11 attackers, renouncing his American citizenship, and asking wealthy Muslims to sponsor killings like the murder of America’s top diplomat in Libya, Chris Stevens. He served as Osama bin Laden’s media adviser and spokesman.
- Yaser Esam Hamdi (video 3:48) Hamdi was born in Louisiana in 1980, while his Saudi father worked in the oil industry there. He grew up in Saudi Arabia. Hamdi's family says he was an innocent caught in the wrong place at the wrong time — a 20- year-old relief worker swept up in the chaos of Afghanistan in the weeks following the terrorist attack. The Bush administration says he was fighting with a Taliban unit and carrying a gun. After U.S. forces routed the Taliban government, which the United States accused of harboring al-Qaida terrorists responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, Hamdi was shipped to Guantanamo with other so-called battlefield detainees. He was eventually transferred to a Navy brig in South Carolina after authorities verified his citizenship.
- Jose Padilla José Padilla (video 7:21) José Padilla, also known as Abdullah al-Muhajir or Muhajir Abdullah, is a United States citizen from Brooklyn, New York, who was convicted in federal court of aiding terrorists. Born: October 18, 1970 (age 44), Brooklyn, New York City, NY Padilla, also being held at the brig, was arrested at Chicago's O'Hare airport as he got off a flight from Pakistan more than two years ago, alleged to have plans to mount terror attacks in America.
- Both men have been interrogated repeatedly, and until recently were not allowed to meet with lawyers. The Bush administration had won its arguments in lower court in the Hamdi case but lost in Padilla. In the Padilla case Monday, a 5-4 majority led by Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist voted to throw out the lower court ruling on a technicality. The court's more liberal wing dissented. Padilla can refile his case and challenge the government on stronger legal footing, although several lawyers said the government may now choose to file criminal charges instead. The justices sent back to a lower court the case of Jose Padilla, a former Chicago gang member and a convert to Islam who is being held as an enemy combatant amid allegations he sought to detonate a radiological "dirty bomb" and blow up apartment buildings in the United States. The administration contends that all the men at issue in Monday's cases are enemy combatants — neither prisoners of war protected by the Geneva Conventions nor ordinary criminal suspects with automatic rights to see lawyers and know the charges against them. All the cases dealt with rights of prisoners, an issue with added resonance since recent revelations that U.S. soldiers abused Iraqi prisoners and used harsh interrogation methods at a prison outside Baghdad. At oral arguments in the terrorism cases in April, an administration lawyer assured the court that Americans abide by international treaties against torture, and that the president or the military would not allow even mild torture as a means to get information.
- Both men have been interrogated repeatedly, and until recently were not allowed to meet with lawyers. The Bush administration had won its arguments in lower court in the Hamdi case but lost in Padilla. In the Padilla case Monday, a 5-4 majority led by Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist voted to throw out the lower court ruling on a technicality. The court's more liberal wing dissented. Padilla can refile his case and challenge the government on stronger legal footing, although several lawyers said the government may now choose to file criminal charges instead. The justices sent back to a lower court the case of Jose Padilla, a former Chicago gang member and a convert to Islam who is being held as an enemy combatant amid allegations he sought to detonate a radiological "dirty bomb" and blow up apartment buildings in the United States. The administration contends that all the men at issue in Monday's cases are enemy combatants — neither prisoners of war protected by the Geneva Conventions nor ordinary criminal suspects with automatic rights to see lawyers and know the charges against them. All the cases dealt with rights of prisoners, an issue with added resonance since recent revelations that U.S. soldiers abused Iraqi prisoners and used harsh interrogation methods at a prison outside Baghdad. At oral arguments in the terrorism cases in April, an administration lawyer assured the court that Americans abide by international treaties against torture, and that the president or the military would not allow even mild torture as a means to get information.
- Cal – a – fat On 11 September 2001, 19 al-Qa'ida suicide attackers hijacked and crashed four US commercial jets—two into the World Trade Center in New York City, one into the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., and a fourth into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania—leaving nearly 3,000 people dead. Al-Qa'ida also directed the 12 October 2000 attack on the USS Cole in the port of Aden, Yemen, which killed 17 US sailors and injured another 39. Al-Qa'ida conducted the bombings in August 1998 of the US embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killing 224 people and injuring more than 5,000. Since 2002, al-Qa'ida and affiliated groups have conducted attacks worldwide, including in Europe, North Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. In 2005, Ayman al-Zawahiri, then Bin Ladin’s deputy and now the leader of al-Qa'ida, publicly claimed al-Qa'ida’s involvement in the 7 July 2005 bus bombings in the United Kingdom. In 2006, British security services foiled an al-Qa'ida plot to detonate explosives on up to 10 transatlantic flights originating from London’s Heathrow airport. Following the 2011 death of Bin Ladin, al-Qa'ida leaders moved quickly to name al-Zawahiri as his successor. The group remains a cohesive organization and what is widely called al-Qa'ida’s Core leadership continues to be important to the global movement despite leadership losses. Other jihadist groups, however, like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), have gained prominence and challenged the Core’s global leadership. Al-Qa'ida remains committed to conducting attacks in the United States and against American interests abroad. The group has advanced a number of unsuccessful plots in the past several years, including against the United States and Europe. This highlights al-Qa'ida’s ability to continue some attack preparations while under sustained counterterrorism pressure and suggests it may be plotting additional attacks against the United States at home or overseas.
- Total 8 minutes
- (video 1:13)
- Omar Ham-mami (45 minute video) (not counting) Born in Alabama to a Southern Baptist mother and a Sunni Muslim from Syria, Hammami joined the Somali militant group in 2006. Hammami was known as Abu Mansoor al-Amriki, or “the American,” and was known for rapping about jihad in popular YouTube videos. Shabaab forces reportedly killed Hammami. Shabaab officials are said to have confirmed Hammami’s death. September 2013 In the interview, he said he had renounced his ties to Shabaab and al Qaeda but still considered himself a “terrorist.”
- Jehad Serwan Mostafa graduated from a university in California with a bachelor's degree in economics Mostafa was raised in California and was active at his San Diego mosque before joining al-Shabaab. He is accused of providing material support to al-Shabaab and fighting with a terrorist group. Mostafa is believed to be in Somalia, and could face up to 15 years in prison if caught. On October 9, 2009 A federal arrest warrant issued for what Jehad Serwan Mostafa in the United States District Court, Southern District of California. He may have or is likely to visit the Following Areas: Somalia, Yemen, Ethiopia, Kenya, and other African countries. .
- Al-Shabaab’s senior leaders are affiliated with al-Qa‘ida and are believed to have trained and fought in Afghanistan. The merger of the two groups was publicly announced in February 2012 by the leaders of both groups Its members come from disparate clans, and the group is susceptible to clan politics, internal divisions, and shifting alliances. In 2008, the US Government designated al-Shabaab as a Foreign Terrorist and in 2012, the United States offered rewards for the capture of several al-Shabaab leaders.
- (Video 2:47) (video 0:30)
- David Coleman Headley (video 4:38) (Lash-ka-her-toy-ba) A native Chicagoan, Headley is currently serving 35 years in prison for helping to plan the deadly 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Headley had attended training camps for Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistani militant group behind the attacks, and helped scout locations for the shootings and bombings He also participated in a failed plot against a Danish newspaper that published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.
- Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, (Lash-ka-her-toy-ba) The United States and United Nations have designated LT an international terrorist organization. The Pakistani Government banned LT and froze its assets in 2002. The Indian Government has charged LT with committing the 26–29 November 2008 attacks in Mumbai, in which gunmen using automatic weapons and grenades attacked several sites, killing more than 160 people. LT maintains facilities in Pakistan, including training camps, schools, and medical clinics. LT coordinates its charitable activities through its front organization, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JUD), which spearheaded humanitarian relief to the victims of the October 2005 earthquake in Kashmir.
- Abdirahman Mohamud (AB-DER-AH-MAN SHIEK MOHAMMAD)(video 0:35) from Columbus ohio, a Somali immigrant who loved basketball and was nicknamed "Bones" because he was so skinny. Abdirahman Mohamud told a friend on FB he was in Turkey. "I'm chilling in Istanbul," The goal was to follow in his big brother's footsteps and join al Nusra, an al Qaeda affiliate designated a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department, court papers say. But six weeks after Mohamud arrived in Turkey and was bundled across the border by handlers, his brother was killed in battle, and he was on his way back to Ohio. He returned, an indictment says, with a plan: to use the weapons and explosives training he got in Syria to attack a military facility or a prison and execute Americans.
- Gufran Mohammed is a naturalized U.S. citizen who had once lived in California. He was sentenced in Miami federal court to the maximum 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to providing thousands of dollars in support to three U.S.-designated terrorist organizations operating under al-Qaida. He sought a more lenient sentence before U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro. She rejected his request. Prosecutors Rick del Toro and Brian Frazier argued that Mohammed, who holds a master’s degree in computer science, possessed “a deep hatred for the country that provided him shelter, citizenship and education” and that “his intent was to kill innocent American civilians,” according to court papers. Mohammed was arrested last year in a Miami-based terrorism investigation led by an FBI employee, who engaged him and a co-defendant, Mohamed Hussein Said, 26, in an online, undercover financial scheme. Mohammed and Said were charged with conspiring to provide a combined total of about $25,000 to the al-Qaida splinter groups. . The Miami FBI employee posed as a brother and a sister who supported al-Qaida as a way to communicate in an Internet chat room with the two men overseas. The men were accused of plotting to finance the terrorist group's battles in Syria and Somalia, according to an indictment. In April 2012, the FBI undercover employee established online contact with Mohammed, according to the indictment. Mohammed arranged to send a series of Western Union wire transfers totaling more than $9,000 through November to the FBI employee. The funds were intended for another al-Qaida affiliate, the Nusra Front, which is fighting the government of President Bashar Assad in Syria. Last December, Mohammed also met in person with a purported associate of the FBI undercover employee and gave him 14,400 Saudi Arabian riyals, worth about $3,800, which also was meant to support the Nusra Front, the indictment said.
- • In December, Sinh Vinh Ngo Nguyen, an American citizen from southern California, pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to provide material support to al Qaeda. Between December 2012 and April 2013, Nguyen had traveled to Syria, where, he stated, he fought alongside Nusra. On his return, Nguyen discussed with an informant his intent to participate further in jihad.
- Basit Sheikh, a Pakistan native was charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. According to the indictment, between April and the time of his arrest, he was arranging to provide personnel to al-Nusrah Front. An affidavit of an FBI agent states that Sheikh repeatedly posted on his Facebook page links to news stories and videos backing a jihad in Syria. He also discussed with a government informant going to Syria to fight in that country's civil war and that he was ready to be a "martyr," according to the affidavit. Believing the government informant could help smuggle him from Lebanon to Syria, authorities say, he purchased a one-way ticket to Lebanon. An arrest report indicates Sheikh works at a local post office, but more information wasn't available Monday.
- Hezzbula - Shi'a Islamist militant group and political party based in Lebanon. The tactics of al-Nusra Front differ markedly from those of rival jihadist group ISIL; whereas ISIL has alienated local populations by demanding their allegiance and carrying out beheadings, al-Nusra Front has cooperated with other militant groups and has declined to impose sharia law where there has been opposition. Analysts have noted this could give al-Nusra Front a greater long-term advantage. In early 2015, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri instructed al-Nusra Front leader Jolani to pursue the following five goals: Better integrate his movement within the Syrian revolution and its people Coordinate more closely with all Islamic groups on the ground Contribute towards the establishment of a Syria-wide sharia judicial court system Use strategic areas of the country to build a sustainable al-Qaeda power base Cease any activity linked to attacking the West
- NYE-DULL MALIK HASAN Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, was found guilty on 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder after opening fire Nov. 5, 2009, at Fort Hood’s Soldier Readiness Processing Center, where troops were getting medical checkups before deploying to Afghanistan. 13 senior military officers in a unanimous decision after less than two hours of deliberations sentenced to death. No active-duty service member has been executed since 1961, and legal experts said it will probably be many years, if ever, before the sentence will be carried out. Hasan will be flown shortly to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., where he will join five other inmates on military death row, officials said. In military cases, there are several mandatory appeal stages and a military death sentence requires final approval by the president, as commander in chief. Hasan, who was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan a few weeks later, shouted “Allahu akbar!” meaning “God is great,” before targeting soldiers with a high-powered, high-capacity handgun he had fitted with laser sights. He was apprehended by military police officers after firing more than 200 shots.
- Amir Meshal (AMER-ME-SHAWL) ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) - A Minnesota man, who Homeland Security identifies as a terror suspect who is on the “No Fly” list, was able to get his Class A commercial license, which allowed him to drive semi-trucks. The $4,000 tuition was paid for through the state workforce program.
- Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez (video 1:37) (ABDUL – LA-Zeeze) Jul 16, 2015 Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez grew up in a middle-class Hixson neighborhood, was on the wrestling team at Red Bank High School and graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2012 with a degree in engineering. The gunman who killed four Marines and a Navy sailor last week in Tennessee, had downloaded audio recordings of Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-Yemeni cleric who was a recruiter for al Qaeda, law enforcement officials told NBC News. (Remember him, the first slide). Abdulazeez's uncle in Jordan is believed to be "radical" and officials are investigating whether he influenced Abdulazeez when he was living there. Abdulazeez traveled to Jordan from April to November 2014. Abdulazeez's family said he had been depressed for years. The 2009 Little Rock recruiting office shooting took place on June 1, 2009, when the American, born Carlos Leon Bledsoe, (Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad) opened fire with a rifle in a drive-by shooting on soldiers in front of a United States military recruiting officein Little Rock, Arkansas. He killed Private William Long and wounded Private Quinton Ezeagwula.
- Eric Harroun The 30-year-old American was in northern Syria, where he'd been fighting alongside rebel forces for all of two weeks. A few months later, Eric would be sitting in a Virginia prison as he was informed the US government planned to put him to death for what he'd done.
- Video 1 (1:07) and Video 2 (9:00) Eric Harroun/Cause of death Drug overdose Upon returning to the United States in March 2013, Harroun was detained from March 28, 2013 to September 20, 2013 and charged with various offenses, before being released under a secret plea deal. Harroun died of an accidental drug overdose on 8 April 2014.
- (Video 1 – 1:28) (video 2 – 2:35) Nicolas TOE-SANT) Nicholas Teausant, a 20-year-old from California, was arrested in March 2014 while allegedly traveling to join ISIS. Teausant pleaded not guilty and awaits trial.
- Christopher Cornell. (video 3:14) March 2015 (Ubayda) If he ever gets out of jail, the 20-year-old Green Township man accused of plotting to plant pipe bombs in the U.S. Capitol "would put bullets in President Obama's head The Cincinnati 20-year-old was on the FBI's radar for months as he posted about violent jihad on social media. The feds said they arrested him before he could hatch his alleged plot. he planned to set off pipe bombs at the U.S. Capitol, and when employees and lawmakers fled the building, he and an accomplice would shoot them, according to a criminal complaint. Cornell allegedly told an informant he had been in contact with people overseas, and that he had aligned himself with ISIS. The attack, according to the complaint, would be a way of supporting the extremist group.
- 4:07 video
- (TARE-ROD) BROOKLYN, N.Y. — the former U.S. Air Force mechanic from New Jersey pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges. But Pugh, who has been in jail since January after his deportation from Egypt on suspicions he was attempting to join ISIS
- Nader Saadeh (Sah-dah) One of FOUR a 20-year-old New Jersey man who federal prosecutors say began trolling the internet for jihadist websites before leaving for Jordan in an apparent effort to join ISIS. His older brother, Alaa Saadeh, 23, told a friend to lie if the FBI came knocking.
- (video 1:07) Samuel Topaz, a talented musician and classmate of Nader Saadeh at Fort Lee High School, was converted by him to Islam. He posted “selfies” on Facebook wearing the dark head and face scarves favored by Islamic State fighters. According to court filings, they were captioned: “Which assassin am I, or am I all of them?”
- Munther Omar Saleh, 20, (sale – lay) was studying electrical circuitry at an aeronautical engineering college in Queens and also knew Nader Saadeh. After Saleh allegedly tweeted support for the gunmen who attacked the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, authorities believe he began scouting out New York City landmarks and tourist sites. They said he was planning on assembling a deadly pressure cooker bomb.
- Fareed Mumuni, (Fah-ree Mu-Muni) 21, who was close to Saleh, had been described by neighbors as a quiet, friendly guy who “never talked about politics or anything,” before he came at federal agents with a kitchen carving knife when they showed up to arrest him. But their story as seen through a series of criminal complaints, following a year-long FBI/Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation that spanned two states, offers a unique view into the lives of the young men who grew up in the U.S. Living typical American lives, attending school, enjoying music, playing sports, still all felt the pull to join the cause of the militant Islamic State.
- (video 0:52) Rahim's family says they were utterly shocked by the accusation that their relative was a "radicalized" fighter, and they have demanded a thorough explanation. Some critics say the FBI is out to entrap young Muslim Americans into fake "terrorism plots". For the past decade, the FBI has sought to actively disrupt violent plots before they happen.
- Usaama Rahim’s family speaks out (3:07) Family views the video (1:58) Video shows Rahim (1:49) Surveillance video(5:23)
- 30 Minutes (not counted) Usaama Rahim
- Video 1 – 2:07 and Video 2 – 2:48 Three New York City men were arrested today on charges they allegedly conspired to join ISIS in Syria, while also trying to carry out attacks on the terror group's behalf in the United States, the authorities said. The men had planned to travel to the Middle East and had also pledged to launch attacks in this country, including one on President Obama or planting a bomb in Coney Island, Brooklyn, federal officials said. Federal officials said Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, was arrested today at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, where he was attempting to board a flight to Istanbul. ISIS: Trail of Terror ISIS Threat at Home: FBI Warns US Military About Social Media Vulnerabilities Few Arrests of Americans Who Fought In Syria or Iraq Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, 24, had a plane ticket to travel to Turkey sometime next month. He was arrested in Brooklyn, according to the feds. Abror Habibov, 30, a third man, is accused of helping fund Saidakhmetov's efforts, authorities said. He was arrested in Florida. The arrests came as FBI Director James Comey spoke today about how ISIS, also known as ISIL, is recruiting members through its use of social media and propaganda. "ISIL in particular, is putting out a siren song through their slick propaganda through social media that goes like this: 'Troubled soul, come to the caliphate, you will live a life of glory, these are the apocalyptic end times, you will find a life of meaning here fighting for our so-called caliphate and if you can't come, kill somebody where you are." That is a message that goes out to troubled souls everywhere," he said. In August 2014, Juraboev allegedly posted this message on an Uzbek-language site of ISIS: “I am in USA now. ... But is it possible to commit ourselves as dedicated martyrs anyway while here? What I’m saying is, to shoot Obama and then get shot ourselves, will it do? That will strike fear in the hearts of infidels," according to the criminal complaint. PHOTO: NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton holds a press conference on the recent ISIS-related arrests in Brooklyn, Feb. 25, 2015, in New York City.WABC NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton holds a press conference on the recent ISIS-related arrests in Brooklyn, Feb. 25, 2015, in New York City.more + A week later, the FBI met with Juraboev twice. He allegedly told them that he believes in ISIS’ terrorist agenda and that he would like to go to Syria to fight with ISIS “if Allah wills,” authorities said. He also told them he would harm Obama if he could, based on president’s role in killing Muslims, his support for Israel and recent bombings of ISIS. Juraboev allegedly said he didn’t have an imminent plan to harm Obama, but that if anyone within ISIS told him to, he would, authorities said. Undercover FBI agents had twice met with Juraboev, where he again professed his loyalty to ISIS and repeated his claims that he would kill the president should the terror group ask him to, authorities said. "ISIL calls on its followers to come fight for the terrorist organization in Syria, and in messages to followers outside Syria, ISIL has called on them to attack police, intelligence officers or the military in their home countries including the United States,” said NYPD Police Commissioner Bill Bratton. "By pledging allegiance to ISIL, these defendants conspired to fight for a designated foreign terrorist organization either in Syria, or even New York." In one November 2014 discussion, Saidakhmetov allegedly suggested he join the U.S. military so he could pass military information to ISIS -– and if his plan ever fell apart, he could open fire on American soldiers, according to the charging documents. And then just last month, Saidakhmetov said he could buy a machine gun and “shoot all police” before “go[ing] to the FBI headquarters” to “kill the FBI people,” authorities said. “It was made quite plain based on those statements that if they were not able to go [to Syria or Iraq], that they would seek to acquire weapons here .. and seek to attack,” Bratton said. “Those aspirations were made quite clear." PHOTO: Kashmiri demonstrators hold up a flag of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) during a demonstration against Israeli military operations in Gaza, in downtown Srinagar, July 18, 2014. AFP/Getty Images Kashmiri demonstrators hold up a flag of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) during a demonstration against Israeli military operations in Gaza, in downtown Srinagar, July 18, 2014. more + Nevertheless, by that time, Saidakhmetov and Juraboev had purchased tickets to fly to Turkey, a known destination point for those looking to sneak into Syria, the charging documents say. "The defendants looked to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, by flying to Turkey in a vain attempt to evade detection. And several of the defendants planned to commit acts of terror here -- in America -- if they could not travel, to include killing FBI agents,” added FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Diego Rodriguez. "The defendants violated the true tenants of their faith in pursuit of their radical, violent agenda. We rely on help from the community, the public and religious leaders to be mindful of those who could be radicalized. We cannot do this alone." Saidakhmetov is a Brooklyn, N.Y., resident and citizen of Kazakhstan. Juraboev and Habibov also live Brooklyn and are citizens of Uzbekistan. The men have been charged with attempt and conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist organization. Habibov was arraigned this afternoon in Jacksonville, Florida. His alleged accomplices appeared in federal court in Brooklyn. All three were detained. Adam Perlmutter, a defense attorney for Saidakhmetov, said, “It is my hope that in America that the presumption of innocence still holds and added that the "U.S. government needs to find another way to approach Muslim men who could be radicalized." If convicted, the men each face a maximum sentence of 15 years behind bars. Get real-time updates as this story unfolds. To start, just "star" this story in ABC News' phone app. Download ABC News for iPhone here or ABC News for Android here.
- Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, (AK-Ker Sad-a-kow-me-tov) Three New York City men were arrested on charges they allegedly conspired to join ISIS in Syria, while also trying to carry out attacks on the terror group's behalf in the United States, the authorities said. The men had planned to travel to the Middle East and had also pledged to launch attacks in this country, including one on President Obama or planting a bomb in Coney Island, Brooklyn, federal officials said. In one November 2014 discussion, Saidakhmetov allegedly suggested he join the U.S. military so he could pass military information to ISIS -– and if his plan ever fell apart, he could open fire on American soldiers, according to the charging documents And then just last month, Saidakhmetov said he could buy a machine gun and “shoot all police” before “go[ing] to the FBI headquarters” to “kill the FBI people,” authorities said.
- Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, 24, (AB_DER_RAS-SAUL HAS_SAH_NO_VICH JURA_BO_IVE) had a plane ticket to travel to Turkey sometime next month. He was arrested in Brooklyn, according to the feds. In August 2014, Juraboev allegedly posted this message on an Uzbek-language site of ISIS: “I am in USA now. ... But is it possible to commit ourselves as dedicated martyrs anyway while here? What I’m saying is, to shoot Obama and then get shot ourselves, will it do? That will strike fear in the hearts of infidels," according to the criminal complaint. A week later, the FBI met with Juraboev twice. He allegedly told them that he believes in ISIS’ terrorist agenda and that he would like to go to Syria to fight with ISIS “if Allah wills,” He also told them he would harm Obama if he could, based on president’s role in killing Muslims, his support for Israel and recent bombings of ISIS. Juraboev allegedly said he didn’t have an imminent plan to harm Obama, but that if anyone within ISIS told him to, he would, authorities said. Undercover FBI agents had twice met with Juraboev, where he again professed his loyalty to ISIS and repeated his claims that he would kill the president should the terror group ask him to, authorities said.
- Abror Habibov, 30, AB_ROW HABA_BOVE a third man, is accused of helping fund Saidakhmetov's efforts, authorities said. He was arrested in Florida. Habibov was arraigned in Jacksonville, Florida. His alleged accomplices appeared in federal court in Brooklyn. All three were detained.
- Video 2:25 Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha Abu-Salha is the first American suicide bomber known to have died in Syria. Some 100 other Americans are believed to have either fought in Syria since 2011 or been arrested before they could get there. According to a count by the New America Foundation, eight of these individuals have been indicted for traveling, attempting to travel, or facilitating the travel of others to fight with ISIS or the al-Nusra Front. Some of these cases involved those who tried to join ISIS or Nusra, but were arrested before they could leave the States:
- • Adam Dandach, a 20-year-old Orange County man, was arrested at John Wayne Airport while allegedly attempting to travel to join ISIS. Dandach was charged with lying about needing a passport replacement to conceal that the real reason he needed to replace his passport was that his mother had hidden his original passport to prevent his travel. He awaits trial. Mar 23, 2015Mar 23, 2015
- Michael Todd Wolfe, a 23-year-old Texas man, pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization by traveling to Syria to fight with ISIS. Arrested at George H.W. Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport before a flight to Europe, Wolfe was charged in June "with attempting to provide material support to terrorists," authorities said. He "planned to travel to the Middle East to provide his services to radical groups engaged in armed conflict in Syria," according to a complaint. On February 2, 2014, an undercover agent met with Wolfe and his wife and they watched a YouTube video about foreign fighters in Syria, officials said. Wolfe allegedly discussed the activities of ISIS, they said.
- Video – 2:54 Abdullah Yusuf, The 18-year-old from Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, pleaded guilty at a Minneapolis federal court to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to ISIS Yusuf was stopped by the FBI from boarding a flight to Turkey from Minneapolis/Saint Paul Airport in May. Yusuf and another man, Abdi Nur, were charged in late November with conspiring to aid ISIS.
- Video 2:54 One of the men, 20-year-old Abdi Nur, was charged in absentia, because he is believed to be currently fighting for the terror group ISIS in Syria. The 18-year-old from Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, pleaded guilty at a Minneapolis federal court to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to ISIS Yusuf was stopped by the FBI from boarding a flight to Turkey from Minneapolis/Saint Paul Airport in May. Yusuf and another man, Abdi Nur, were charged in late November with conspiring to aid ISIS.
- Ahmad Abousamra, The Stoughton, Massachusetts, man was first placed on the FBI terror list for 2009 crimes but since has been suspected of joining ISIS, officials said. He's fluent in both English and Arabic, and if his college degree in computers. who was believed to be working with the Islamic State terror group in Syria and Iraq was allegedly killed in a recent airstrike by Iraqi forces, according to multiple reports.
- Douglas McAuthur McCain grew up in the Minneapolis area. Aged 33, he died more than 6,000 miles to the east of his birthplace, fighting in Syria for ISIS. McCain's transformation to a militant jihadist left his family "devastated," his uncle, Ken McCain, told CNN. McCain is the first American known to have been killed while fighting for ISIS.
- A 44-year-old Salisbury man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on Wednesday for supporting ISIS, a decision he said was based on the United States’ efforts to eradicate radical Islamic groups. Donald Ray Morgan pleaded guilty in October 2014 to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and possession of a firearm by a felon. Morgan attempted to travel from Lebanon to Syria to join ISIS and used social media to express his support for the terrorist group, authorities said. He was arrested last August at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York for possession of a firearm by a felon. In a handwritten statement to WRAL, Morgan, who identifies himself as Nasser Abdul Raheem, blames the federal government for his actions. “Ironically, you are the best ‘recruiter’ for jihad,” he wrote. “Your terrorism, foreign policies, drone attacks, propaganda and killing of innocent Muslims invoke the most passive, moderate Muslim to take action.”
- (Video 1:02) Rochester Man Mufid A. Elfgeeh (MUFFID A ELF_GHEE) arrested trying to recruit people to join the ISIS terror group overseas and to shoot people in the United States, including Shia Muslims and American military personnel returning from the Middle East. Court documents say Mufid A. Elfgeeh, a 30-year-old naturalized citizen from Yemen, was arrested in May after he tried to buy two handguns with silencers from someone who turned out to be an undercover informant working with the FBI. The firearms charges were made public in June. The recruitment charges were contained in a grand jury indictment handed up on Tuesday. Court documents suggest that the FBI began investigating Elfgeeh a year ago, when he started posting what prosecutors say was a series of tweets expressing support for ISIS, al Qaeda, and other overseas terror groups. In several messages, he urged people to donate money to the groups. In one message, he said everyone should donate a third of their salary to jihadists.
- Women of ISIS Video 2:58
- Video 1:48 The first indication that something was wrong was a phone call from his daughter's Denver area school to let Assad Ibrahim know that she had not come to class. He dialed her cell. And she answered. But, officials say, she didn't tell him that she was on her way to Syria to join ISIS. The American girl of Sudanese descent also kept quiet about her two girlfriends, Americans of Somali descent, who were flying with her to Turkey by way of Germany.Those two had told their father, Ali Farah, that they were going to the library. But when Farah got home from work, a visitor came calling, according to the documents. Apparently, it was Ibrahim. Farah should check to see if his daughters' passports were missing, the visitor told him -- just like his daughter's passport was. Sure enough, they were gone, along with $2,000 in cash. The two families called the FBI. They said they thought the girls were on their way to Turkey. The agency put out a notice on their passports. German authorities intercepted the trio, ages 15, 16 and 17, at Frankfurt airport and put them on a plane back to the United States, where they were greeted by FBI agents. The three girls were questioned and released. Two U.S. officials say they had planned to join militants with ISIS, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
- Video 1 – 2:53 Video 2 – 5:56 Shannon Maureen Conley's ( http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/10/justice/colorado-jihadist-guilty-plea/) plan to join ISIS and serve as a nurse at a jihadist camp ended Wednesday with a guilty plea to a terror charge in a Colorado federal court. Conley, 19, was arrested at Denver International Airport in April as she was about to embark on a journey to Germany and eventually to an ISIS camp near the Turkish border. She told investigators that she was going to Turkey to await word from her suitor, identified in court documents as Yousr Mouelhi, an ISIS member she met on the Internet, whom she planned to marry. A certified nurse aide, Conley faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine. As part of the plea agreement, Conley must provide law enforcement agencies with information about others looking to help terrorist organizations abroad. Conley first came to the attention of authorities after the pastor and the security director at a church in Arvada, Colorado, called police and said she was acting suspiciously. Authorities interviewed her seven times over the course of five months before arresting her at the airport. "I think she realizes she made a terrible mistake," her mother told CNN. "She was clueless. She's just a teenager, young, with a big mouth."
- Video 1 – 2:05 Video 2 – 0:21 Video 3 – 10:52 (not counting this one) Nicole Mansfield Mansfield, a Michigan woman, was killed in Syria in 2013, reportedly during a military clash. However, details on whether she was fighting in Syria and, if so, which group she fought for remain under investigation. So far, no U.S. citizen involved in fighting or supporting Nusra or ISIS has been charged with plotting to conduct an attack inside the United States.
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- Isis recruiting in the us video 9 minutes
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