OHIO
A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced Munir Abdulkader, 22, of West Chester, Ohio, to 20 years in prison for plotting to murder a military base employee and attack a Cincinnati area police station, according to officials.
Abdulkader said he was doing this in the name of the ISIS.
“Using social media to communicate with the now-deceased Syria-based ISIL terrorist Junaid Hussain, Abdulkader coordinated and planned violent murders of military members and police officers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary McCord. “Identifying and stopping such ISIL-directed and inspired plots is and will remain one of our highest priorities.”
“Abdulkader placed himself under the direction and control of an evil foreign terrorist organization and plotted with that organization to conduct multiple murderous attacks in the Cincinnati area,” said U.S. Attorney Benjamin Glassman.
Abdulkader plead guilty to attempting to kill officers and federal employees, conspiracy to help ISIS and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, according to officials.
Abdulkader’s plan was to murder a specific employee of a military base at the employee’s home. He planned to videotape the murder so that it could be used in an ISIS propaganda video, officials said.
After the murder, Abdulkader would launch a violent attack on a police station in the Cincinnati area.
Abdulkader conducted surveillance of the police station in preparation for the attacks, received a targeting package about the victim, went to a shooting range, learned how to operate certain firearms and practiced shooting the firearms, according to officials.
He also bought an AK-47 assault rifle for the attack.
According to the statement of facts admitted by Abdulkader at the plea hearing, beginning in at least July 2014 and continuing into 2015, Abdulkader expressed his support for ISIL on Twitter accounts.
From approximately March 2015 to mid-April 2015, Abdulkader began speaking with a confidential informant about his desire and intention to travel to Syria in order to join ISIS as a fighter.
During that same time, Abdulkader planned to travel to Syria to join ISIS as a fighter.
Namely, he secured a passport, saved money for the trip and researched the logistical details of traveling to Syria and joining ISIS.
In late April, though, Abdulkader expressed concerns about the ability to travel and postponed his original departure date of May 2, 2015.
During May 2015, Abdulkader was in electronic communication with one or more individuals located overseas who he understood were members of ISIL.
Court documents said the former Xavier University student was communicating with Junaid Hussain, an Islamic State militant who was reported killed in a U.S. drone strike in August 2015.
Through their communications, Junaid Hussein encouraged Abdulkader to plan and execute a violent attack within the U.S.
Abdulkader communicated with Junaid Hussein and the confidential informant about a plan to kill an identified military employee on account of his position with the U.S. government. The plan included abducting the employee at the employee’s home and filming the execution of the employee, according to officials.
After killing the employee, Abdulkader planned to execute a violent attack on a police station in Ohio using firearms and Molotov cocktails.
Abdulkader was arrested on May 21, 2015 by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force after a controlled purchase and possession of the AK-47 assault rifle.
The defendant was charged by criminal complaint on May 22, 2015 and a bill of information was filed on March 2.
Abdulkader pleaded guilty to the three charges on March 24.