A Charlotte, North Carolina, man was arrested this morning
on a federal complaint charging him with conspiring to provide material support
to the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist
organization.
Erick Jamal Hendricks, 35, tried to recruit people to train
together and conduct terrorist attacks in the United States on behalf of ISIL,
according to a criminal complaint unsealed today in U.S. District Court in the
Northern District of Ohio.
The arrest was announced by Assistant Attorney General for
National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Carole S. Rendon of the
Northern District of Ohio and Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony of the
FBI’s Cleveland Office.
According to the complaint, in June 2015, an individual
(CW-1) was arrested in the Northern District of Ohio after attempting to
purchase an AK-47 assault rifle and ammunition from an undercover law
enforcement officer. CW-1 had pledged
allegiance to ISIL in social media and made statements expressing interest in
conducting attacks in the United States.
Hendricks had contacted CW-1 over social media to recruit
him in the spring of 2015, according to the complaint. Hendricks allegedly told CW-1 that he “needed
people” and wanted to meet in person; that there were several “brothers”
located in Texas and Mexico; that he was attempting to “get brothers to meet
face to face;” and that he wanted “to get brothers to train together.”
According to the complaint, CW-1 said that Hendricks tested
his religious knowledge and commitment, inquiring about his willingness to
commit “jihad,” to die as a “martyr” and his desire to enter “jannah”
(paradise). CW-1 understood these
statements to mean that Hendricks was recruiting people to train together for
the purpose of conducting a terrorist attack in the U.S. and to see if CW-1 was
suitable for recruitment, according to the allegations. CW-1 allegedly believed that Hendricks and
the “brothers in Texas and Mexico” may have been responsible for a thwarted
terrorist attack in Garland, Texas, on May 3, 2015, and therefore CW-1 decided
to stay away from social media for a period following the attack to minimize
detection by law enforcement.
Hendricks also allegedly communicated over social media with
several other people, including an undercover FBI employee (UCE-1). According to the complaint, on April 16,
2015, Hendricks instructed UCE-1 to download the document “GPS for the Ghuraba
in the U.S.”, which included a section entitled “Final Advice” which advocated
that “brothers and sisters” should not allow themselves to go to jail. This section also allegedly encouraged
Muslims to die as a “Shaheed” (martyr), to “Boobie trap your homes,” to “lay in
wait for them” and to “never leave your home without your AK-47 or M16.” According to the complaint, Hendricks also
directed UCE-1 to communicate online with other people and stated “It’s hard to
sift through brothers;” “Allah chooses only the few;” and “Everyday I do this
day in and day out.”
Hendricks allegedly told another person that his goal was to
create a sleeper cell to be trained and housed at a secure compound that would
conduct attacks in the United States. He
mentioned that potential targets included military members whose information
had been released by ISIL and the woman who organized the “Draw Prophet
Mohammad contest,” and he claimed to have 10 members signed up for his group,
according to allegations in the complaint.
On April 23, 2015, Hendricks allegedly used social media to
contact Elton Simpson, who, along with Nadir Hamid Soofi, was inspired by ISIL
and launched the attack on the “First Annual Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest”
in Garland. Simpson and Soofi opened
fire, wounding a security guard, before Garland police returned fire and killed
both Simpson and Soofi. According to the
complaint, Hendricks also connected UCE-1 with Simpson via social media;
communicated with UCE-1 about the contest in Garland; and directed UCE-1 to go
to the contest. Hendricks allegedly
said: “If you see that pig (meaning the organizer of the contest) make your
‘voice’ heard against her.” According to
the complaint, he also asked UCE-1 a series of questions related to security at
the event, including: “How big is the gathering?” “How many ppl?” “How many
police/agents?” “Do you see feds there?’ “Do you see snipers?” and “How many
media?” Shortly thereafter, Simpson and
Soofi committed the attack on the cartoon drawing contest.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and the
defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a
reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, Hendricks faces a statutory maximum sentence
of 15 years in prison. The maximum
statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for
informational purposes. If convicted of
any offense, the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court
based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s offices in
Cleveland; Columbia, South Carolina; Baltimore; and Charlotte, North Carolina,
with assistance from the Justice Department’s National Security Division and
the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Northern District of Ohio, District of
Maryland, District of South Carolina and the Western District of North Carolina
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