Iraqi refugee living in Houston convicted of attempting to provide material support to ISIL

HOUSTON — A Houston resident pleaded guilty Monday to attempting to provide material support to ISIL — a designated foreign terrorist organization.

This guilty plea was announced by the following agency heads:  U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas; Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord; Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI’s Houston Division and Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Houston.

Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan, 24, a refugee born in Iraq, pleaded guilty Oct. 17 to one count of attempting to provide material support — specifically himself — to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Al Hardan entered the United States as a refugee on Nov. 2, 2009. Prior to entering the country, Al Hardan lived in at least two refugee camps in Jordan and Iraq. After being admitted into the United States as an Iraqi refugee, he was granted U.S. permanent residence status on Aug. 22, 2011, and had resided in Houston.  

In April 2014, federal agents began investigating Al Hardan who had been communicating with a California man whom he understood was associated with Al-Nusrah front. In those communications, the individual told Al Hardan that he had previously traveled to Syria to fight for Al-Nusrah and discussed plans to return to Syria with Al Hardan to fight for Al-Nusrah.

Beginning in June 2014 and continuing through 2015, Al Hardan also developed a relationship with a confidential human source (CHS). During that time, they discussed traveling overseas to support ISIL in fighting jihad and various ways to assist ISIL. Al Hardan also said he wanted to be trained in building remote transmitter/receiver detonators for improvised explosive devices, wanted to learn to use cellphones as the remote detonators, and wanted to build remote detonators for ISIL. Al Hardan indicated he taught himself how to make remote detonators by accessing online training videos and other resources he found online, and showed the CHS a circuit board he built to be used as a transmitter for a detonator.

On Nov. 5, 2014, Al Hardan took an oath of loyalty to ISIL, according to the plea agreement. Two days later, Al Hardan and the CHS participated in an hour of tactical weapons training with an AK-47 assault rifle that Al Hardan indicated he wanted.

During the investigation, Al Hardan had also posted many statements on social media in support of ISIL. One of those included a photo of a Humvee with an ISIL flag. Above the photo, Al Hardan posted, “ISIS yesterday in Iraq, today in Syria and Allah willing, tomorrow in Jerusalem.” He also made numerous statements about his plans to travel to Syria and fight alongside ISIL and become a martyr. In one instance he said: “I want to blow myself up. I want to travel with the Mujahidin.  I want to travel to be with those who are against America. I am against America.”

Upon his arrest in January 2016, investigators discovered training CDs on how to build remote detonators, electronic circuitry components, tools used to build circuitry, multiple cellphones (that had not been activated), a prayer list for committing jihad and becoming a martyr, and the ISIL flag.

Al Hardan has been and will remain in custody pending his sentencing hearing, which is set for Jan. 17, 2017. At that time, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and HSI conducted this investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys S. Mark McIntyre and Ralph Imperato, Southern District of Texas, are prosecuting this case with assistance of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.