Michigan man convicted of attempting to support ISIS, building bomb in basement

A Michigan man has been convicted for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and illegally possessing a destructive device, according to prosecutors.

Aws Mohammed Naser, 37, of Westland, Michigan was found guilty by a jury following a five-week trial, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan announced Tuesday.

Jurors unanimously concluded that Naser attempted to provide personnel and services to ISIS, knowing it is a designated foreign terrorist organization, and that he possessed a bomb despite being a convicted felon.

According to trial evidence, Naser was radicalized and frequently posted extremist jihadist content on his YouTube channel. He developed a close relationship with Russell Dennison, a U.S. citizen who later joined ISIS in Syria, and traveled with him to Iraq in 2012.

After returning to the United States, Naser attempted to reach Syria twice but was denied boarding on both occasions, including a final attempt in January 2013 after robbing a gas station to fund his travel. He was later convicted of armed robbery and served a three-year prison sentence.

Following his release, Naser turned his focus to supporting ISIS from within the United States. Prosecutors said he created anonymous social media accounts, joined private ISIS supporter forums, consumed and shared propaganda, and sought out information on building explosives. In October 2017, FBI agents searched his home and found a readily assembleable destructive device.

“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. “He 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.”

Naser faces up to 20 years in prison for attempting to support a designated terrorist organization and up to 15 years for possessing a destructive device. A federal judge will determine his sentence at a later date. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.