Michigan man convicted of supporting ISIS, possessing destructive device

CBS News

2 days ago

A Michigan man accused of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and having a destructive device has been found guilty by a federal jury.
Aws Mohammed Naser, 37, formerly of Westland, was convicted Tuesday after a five-week trial. A jury found Naser guilty of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and being a felon in possession of a destructive device.
According to evidence presented at his trial, Naser became radicalized and posted "extreme Salafi-Jihadist ideological content" on YouTube, later forming a relationship with Russell Dennison, who officials say was an "aspiring Salafi-Jihadist preacher." The two traveled to Iraq together in early 2012, according to federal attorneys.
Naser returned to Michigan in August 2012, while Dennison visited Syria and joined a terrorist organization that officials say was a precursor to ISIS. Naser reportedly made plans to join Dennison and attempted twice to leave the U.S. for Syria.
Dennison is believed to have been killed in 2019 while with ISIS.
Officials say Naser first attempted to fly to Syria from Detroit Metro Airport in November 2012 but was denied boarding. He later reportedly bought a one-way ticket from Chicago O'Hare Airport to Beirut, Lebanon, in January 2013.
Shortly before his flight to Lebanon, Naser allegedly robbed a gas station and then took a bus to Chicago, where he attempted to board a flight with $2,000 but was denied boarding and returned to Michigan. Naser was later charged and convicted of armed robbery and served three years in prison.
Following his release from prison and unable to travel to join ISIS, officials say Naser focused on how he could support ISIS from the U.S. Naser reportedly created social media accounts and joined ISIS supporters' private rooms, groups and chatrooms. The groups were by invitation only, and officials say Naser received and viewed official ISIS media reports and publications. Naser allegedly also began experimenting with operating drones and manufacturing explosives.
In October 2017, the FBI searched his home and vehicle and reportedly found a "readily assembleable destructive device."
"Defendant Aws Mohammed Naser is a bombmaker and self-avowed 'son of the Islamic State' — a vicious foreign terrorist organization hell-bent on murdering Americans and destroying our way of life," said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. "Naser tried to travel and fight for ISIS overseas but was turned away. So, Naser turned his fight inward on America, gathered drones, and built a bomb in his basement. But our office is dedicated to finding and applying the full force of the law against any terrorist, like Naser, plotting to harm Americans."
Naser faces up to 20 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization and up to 15 years for possessing a destructive device.