Bronx man was going to pose as humanitarian to join ISIS: feds

[The Bobster]

http://nypost.com/2017/06/22/bronx-man-was-going-to-pose-as-humanitarian-to-join-isis-feds/

Bronx man was going to pose as humanitarian to join ISIS: feds
By Kaja Whitehouse
June 22, 2017 | 2:54pm

A Bronx home health aide was arrested at JFK airport Wednesday night for plotting to “pose as a nurse” on a humanitarian mission in order to travel to Syria and join terrorist group ISIS, the feds have said.

Saddam Mohamed “Adam” Raishani was charged by Manhattan federal prosecutors with one count of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors said Raishani, 30, has spent months plotting alongside an undercover NYC police officer and an undercover FBI, who he believed were trying to help him get to Syria to join ISIS.

At one point, Raishani told the undercover cop, who he believed also wanted to join ISIS, that he would pose as a nurse if the cop posed as a refugee aid worker so that they could cross international borders without drawing suspicion from the authorities, the feds said.

Raishani also went with the undercover cop to buy the clothing he intended to wear for his training with ISIS, the feds said.

This week, Raishani revealed to the undercover FBI agent that he had arranged to meet an ISIS member in Turkey who would help him join the terrorist group in Syria.

He was arrested by the FBI while attempting to board a flight to Lisbon that would then take him to Turkey, the feds said.

Raishani was so intent on joining ISIS, he was planning to abandon his wife and child, the feds said.

At one point, he even revealed to friend that he had asked his wife to join ISIS with him, but she reacted in such a way that he was afraid she would report him to law enforcement, according to the complaint.

 

[The Bobster]

https://nypost.com/2019/04/02/isis-wannabe-from-the-bronx-gets-20-years-for-supporting-terrorism/

ISIS wannabe from the Bronx gets 20 years for supporting terrorism
By Andrew Denney
April 2, 2019 | 7:29pm

A Bronx home-health aide who plotted to pose as a humanitarian nurse to join ISIS was slapped with 20 years behind bars Tuesday.

Saddam Mohamed “Adam” Raishani, 32, was hoping to travel to Turkey to ultimately join up with the Islamic State in Syria. But his cohorts included an undercover NYPD detective and undercover FBI agent.

Raishani, who has a wife and young son, pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization and a related conspiracy charge.

The wannabe terrorist, who has been in jail since his 2017 arrest, appeared before Circuit Judge Ronnie Abrams wearing a navy blue suit with a red striped tie. Marshals removed his handcuffs for the hearing but kept him in leg irons.

Reading from a prepared statement, Raishani said his time behind bars has helped him to see the error of his ways.

“I no longer hold the same views that I had when I came in,” Raishani said.

Gerald McMahon, Raishani’s lawyer, tried arguing in court papers that the number of casualties from the Vietnam War “dwarfs” the number of Americans who have been killed by ISIS. But the comparison apparently didn’t sit well with Abrams, who said the terrorist group, which is known for posting gruesome videos of beheadings, “slaughters women and enslaves children.”

“It’s not about culture,” the judge said. “It’s not about religion. It’s about terrorism.”