Ohio man arrested in alleged plot to help ISIS

Reuters / Stringer

Reuters / Stringer

An Ohio man was arrested on charges of pledging support for the terror group Islamic State, buying an AK-47 assault rifle from an undercover agent to use in propaganda videos, and trafficking marijuana, according to federal prosecutors.

It is the latest in a string of federal arrests of people
supporting the terror group.

Amir Said Abdul Rahman Al-Ghazi, 38, was arrested and charged on
Friday, west of Cleveland, Ohio. Al-Ghazi, who changed his name
from Robert McCollum earlier this year, allegedly told a paid FBI
informant in June that he was “trying to put a squad of
believers together
” and wanted to mount an attack, saying he
believed the US “can be the land of jihad,” according to
a criminal complaint.

The complaint
alleges Al-Ghazi made multiple statements
trying to persuade others to join the Islamic State (IS, also
known as ISIS/ISIL). He allegedly communicated with people he
believed to be members of IS in the Middle East and took steps to
create propaganda videos for the militant group.

Al-Ghazi is also charged with marijuana trafficking. He allegedly
sold almost two kilograms to an FBI informant during the period
of February 2014 through June 2015. He also expressed an interest
in purchasing an assault rifle, and did purchase one from an
undercover FBI employee on June 19, 2015.

Today’s charges are a stark reminder that the radical and
dangerous philosophies espoused by groups such as ISIL can be
spread in our community through computers and social media,

US Attorney Steven D. Dettelbach of the Northern District of Ohio
said in a statement announcing the arrest.

READ MORE: Carter: US military can’t find enough
‘capable, motivated’ Iraqis to train against ISIS

The complaint shows the
FBI conducted surveillance on Al-Ghazi’s social media activity,
on Twitter and elsewhere, beginning last August, and used two
paid informants to record conversations with Al-Ghazi. He was
also interviewed by agents twice last fall.

Both informants had worked for the FBI for more than three years,
and one had an extensive criminal record of domestic violence,
assault, kidnapping, drug trafficking, robbery and receiving
stolen property.

Al-Ghazi’s arrest is the latest in a string by federal agents of
people expressing support for IS.

Samuel Rahamin Topaz, 21, of Fort Lee, New Jersey was arrested on
June 17 and charged with conspiring with others in New Jersey and
New York to provide services and personnel to the terror
organization. If convicted, he faces 15 years in prison.

Fareed Mumuni, 21, was arrested on June 17 in Staten Island, New
York. Before his arrest, he allegedly wanted to travel to IS-held
territory in order to join their cause. If that didn’t work out,
Mumuni’s alleged plan was to target law enforcement wherever he
could find them.

READ MORE: College student accused of plotting
terror attack in New York City

Munther Omar Saleh, a 20-year-old American citizen from Queens,
New York, was arrested June 13 and charged with conspiring to
provide material support to IS and planning to detonate an
explosive device in New York City.

Abdul Malik Abdul
Kareem, 43, was arrested last week in Phoenix, Arizona, on
charges related to a shooting at a Prophet Muhammad cartoon
contest that led to the deaths of two gunmen. Kareem hosted the
shooters in his home beginning in January and allegedly provided
the guns they used in the May 3 attack in Garland, Texas,
according to a federal indictment.

READ MORE: ‘Draw Mohammed’ shooting suspect
wanted to join ISIS, attack Super Bowl – prosecutors

Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, 47, a former US Air Force mechanic
from New Jersey, was arrested in March and charged after his
deportation from Egypt on suspicions he was attempting to join
IS.

Additionally, three New York City men were arrested in February
on charges of allegedly conspiring to join IS in Syria while also
trying to carry out attacks on the group’s behalf in the United
States.

Source Article from http://rt.com/usa/268492-ohio-man-arrested-isis/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

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