A National Guard specialist and his cousin from Illinois have been arrested on federal charges of conspiring to assist ISIS terrorists.
Chicago U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon said in a statement that Hasan Edmonds, 22, had been apprehended from Chicago’s Midway International Airport on Wednesday, while his cousin Jonas Edmonds, 29, from his Aurora, Illinois residence.
“We will pursue and prosecute with vigor those who support ISIS and its agenda of ruthless violence,” Fardon said.
A month ago, prosecutors have charged 3 local New Yorkers for joining the ISIS, and this month a U.S. Air Force veteran also from Brooklyn as the last three, had been accused of joining the terrorist group.
According to prosecutors, the 2 men had met with an undercover FBI agent for planning an attack against a U.S. military facility located in northern Illinois. They said that Jonas had the plan of carrying out this scheme subsequent to Hasan leaving for Cairo to unite with the ISIS.
Clothed in an orange jumpsuit, the two brothers appeared in front of the U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheila Finnegan in Chicago courtroom, represented by court-appointed counsels, while acknowledging to the judge that they comprehend the charges filed against them.
Jim Graham, Jonas’s attorney stated that his client is not immediately contesting prosecutor’s request for holding him in custody. Paul Flynn, Hasan’s attorney requested for a bail hearing which Finnegan scheduled for on Monday, while setting a date of hearing on April 6, regarding probable cause for charges against the two. The lawyers refused to comment on the case.
These two are facing about 15 years in prison along with fines of up to $250,000 for providing material support to a terrorist group.
FBI Special Agent Morgan Spurlock filed the criminal complaint inclusive of transcript messages between the cousins and a government informant. To quote from a message in January, Hasan said “To be honest, I’m best with my sidearm (handgun) and then my rifle.”
Spurlock also said that the exchange referred in Arabic to the word ‘kufar’ meaning infidels and ‘dowlah’ meaning country or state generally used in reference to Islamic State.
Hasan also said, “We are few in number compared to the kufar army but there are believers like myself hear in America. Either we will make it to dowlah or bring the flames of war to the heart of this land with Allahs promission.”
