GROUP OF FIVE, SPOKE OF “WAGING JIHAD AND BECOMING MARTYRS”
After a three-week trial, a federal jury returned guilty verdicts against of gang of four people who were found to have engaged in a “conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, providing material support to terrorists and conspiracy to murder an officer or employee of the United States.” Three were also convicted of “conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in death and kidnapping resulting in death.” A fifth defendant pleaded guilty to “conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and being in possession of a firearm while unlawfully in the United States.”
In December of 2017, SW abducted his 3-year-old son, and the defendants came to believe that the child was “possessed by demons,” and deprived the youngster of his medication and subjected him to “an exhausting regimen of daily spiritual exorcisms.” The child later died while in their custody.
Believing that the kid would return as Jesus Christ to exact justice from “corrupt institutions,” like the FBI and other institutions, the group fortified their compound which they equipped with “11 firearms, including an AR-15 Bushmaster assault rifle, high-capacity magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.” And, according to a press release issued by the Department of Justice, “The group conducted [weapons and tactical] training with the intent to ‘face the nation’ and kill those who refused to believe as they did. They spoke of waging jihad and becoming martyrs.”
On August 3, 2018, warrants were executed, and the child’s remains were found in an underground tunnel.
While now in custody, four of the defendants face life in prison, while the fifth (who pleaded guilty) faces up to 17 years.
Makes you wonder who was really possessed here ….
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