WASHINGTON— An Army National Guard Soldier and his cousin were arrested for conspiring to support the terrorist group ISIS.
The two spoke about attacking military bases in Illinois, officials said today.
Army National Guard Specialist Hasan Edmonds, 22, a U.S. citizen, was arrested without incident at Chicago Midway International Airport by members of the Chicago FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force while attempting to fly to Cairo, Egypt.
Jonas Edmonds, 29, a U.S. citizen, was arrested without incident at his home in Aurora.
Both defendants were charged in a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Illinois with one count of conspiring to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization.
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In late 2014, authorities said Hasan Edmonds came to the attention of the FBI, and later, the investigation indicated that he and Jonas Edmonds planned for Hasan Edmonds to travel overseas for the purpose of waging violence on behalf of ISIL.
Hasan Edmonds, a current member of the Illinois Army National Guard, planned to use his military training to fight on behalf of ISIL.
As part of their plans, Hasan Edmonds booked airline travel to depart yesterday from Chicago and arrive in Cairo today, with layovers in Detroit and Amsterdam, according to officials.
As alleged in the complaint, both defendants also planned for Jonas Edmonds to carry out an act of terrorism in the United States after Hasan Edmonds departed.
In particular, both defendants met with an FBI undercover employee and presented a plan to carry out an armed attack against a U.S. military facility in northern Illinois, an installation where Hasan Edmonds had been training.
Jonas Edmonds asked the FBI undercover employee to assist in the attack and explained that they would use Hasan Edmonds’ uniforms and the information he supplied about how to access the installation and target officers for attack, officials stated.
Conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, officials stated.
Both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.