(UnitedVoice.com) – The Islamic State (ISIS) rose out of the ashes of Al Qaeda after the US decimated the terrorist group after the September 11 attacks. Middle Eastern terrorist have made it their goal to repeat the attacks in the US but have failed. ISIS, however, remains a major threat overseas. A US citizen was just convicted of helping the group.
On June 12, the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky announced a jury convicted Mirsad Hariz Adem Ramic. The 34-year-old was on trial in a federal courtroom in Bowling Green for receiving military training from ISIS, conspiring to provide material support to the terrorist organization, and providing material support to ISIS.
According to the US Attorney’s Office, the American citizen and two co-conspirators left the US separately in 2014 and arrived in Istanbul, Türkiye. When they arrived in the country, they abandoned their itineraries and traveled to the city of Gaziantep near the border between Türkiye and Syria.
Once the group was in Gaziantep, they crossed the border and joined the Islamic State. After becoming part of the terrorist organization, they attended a training camp where they were given military training. Ramic posted a photo of himself on social media showing himself in front of a truck that had an anti-aircraft gun mounted on it. There was also an ISIS flag in the photo, and he was wearing camouflage clothing.
Ramic communicated with his co-conspirators throughout his time in ISIS and bragged about using the anti-aircraft gun to shoot at airplanes. One of the men he traveled with was killed in 2015.
In 2016, the US began pursuing a case against Ramic. It took years because he was in prison in Türkiye. In 2021, federal authorities arrested him after the country finally deported him back to the US.
Ramic is now facing 50 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $750,000. The judge on the case has scheduled his sentencing for September 5.
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