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Violent Jihad

ISIS Jihadists Caught This Week in California and Indiana

Nearly 90% of the ISIS supporters charged in the US are male; almost 40% are converts to Islam; their average age is 26.

BY Bruce Cornibe · | June 24, 2016

This week Americans were reminded yet again of the growing jihadist problem in the U.S. The first case deals with two California men that tried to join ISIS and who were convicted Tuesday of “conspiracy to aid a foreign terrorist organization.” The Times of Israel shows the motivation behind the two men:

The FBI affidavit said the men shared their support for the Islamic State in conversation and on social media, sharing photos of “unbelievers” being beheaded and expressing wishes to die as “martyrs.”

Elhuzayel [one of the convicted men] had sworn allegiance to the leader of IS on a video and he used the Islamic State flag as the profile picture on a Facebook page, authorities said.

The second case involves an eighteen-year-old Indiana man who was arrested Tuesday for “attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).” FOX 59 reports: “Officials say YouTube videos of Anwar Al-Awlaki [former Al Qaeda leader] posted by Musleh [man arrested] were first discovered in August 2013.” When questioned about the videos it was reported that he said “a close family member introduced him to such videos.” It will be interesting to see the extent of these family ties and who else contributed to his radicalization. Investigative journalist Paul Sperry discusses the common connections behind these ‘lone wolf’ terrorists, saying: “Obama’s ‘rogue’ homegrown Muslim terrorist is a myth. In virtually every case, the terrorist suspect’s radicalization spokes off into family, local mosques and the larger Muslim community.”

The House Homeland Security Committee put together a report in April 2016 revealing the scope of the jihadist threat in America. Below are some of the key findings involving the homegrown threat of jihadist groups like ISIS in the U.S.:

Since September 11, 2001, there have been at least 150 homegrown jihadist plots in the United States, including attempts by individuals to join terrorists overseas and execute attacks at home. Around 85 percent of these cases have occurred or been uncovered after 2009.

Authorities have arrested 84 individuals and charged 3 others in absentia in ISIS-linked cases in the United States. The cases include individuals: plotting attacks; attempting to travel to join ISIS overseas; sending money, equipment, and weapons to terrorists; falsifying statements to federal authorities; and failing to report a felony. Six ISIS-linked terrorists have been killed as they were carrying out attacks.

Nearly 90 percent of the ISIS supporters charged in the U.S. are male and almost 40 percent of them are converts to Islam; their average age is 26. Around one-third of ISIS-linked suspects arrested by authorities were on their way to an airport with the intent of traveling overseas to join ISIS.

These recent terrorist cases and statistics as well as last week’s Orlando shooting reveal the danger that jihadists pose to our homeland security. In order to stop this threat we must first identity the enemy in radical Islam, discover the networks behind these terrorists, and start getting tougher on individuals and groups that promote this violence. Time is of the essence.

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