Suburban Chicago man arrested for allegedly attempting to support terrorism overseas
CHICAGO — A man from Chicago's southwest suburbs was arrested Saturday night for allegedly attempting to travel overseas to join a foreign terrorist organization operating in Iraq and Syria, federal law enforcement officials announced Monday.
Mohammed Hamzah Khan, 19, a U.S. citizen from Bolingbrook, Illinois, was charged with attempting to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), aka the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Khan was taken into custody without incident Oct. 4 at O'Hare International Airport by members of the Chicago FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) before he attempted to fly to Vienna, Austria, on his way to Istanbul, Turkey. The criminal complaint notes that Turkey is a common transit point for foreign fighters from the United States and other western countries to travel to Syria to join ISIL.
The FBI-led JTTF is also comprised of Chicago Police Department officers, and representatives from 20 other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The Justice Department's National Security Division assisted in this investigation. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Illinois State Police also provided significant assistance.
Khan was charged in a criminal complaint filed Oct. 6 in U.S. District Court with one count of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. He appeared Monday morning in U.S. District Court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Cox, and remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing Thursday.
According to the complaint affidavit, a roundtrip ticket was purchased for Khan Sept. 26 to travel from Chicago to Istanbul, departing Saturday and returning later this week.
Law enforcement agents observed Khan passing through the security screening checkpoint Saturday afternoon at O'Hare's international terminal. Federal agents then executed a search warrant at Khan's residence and recovered multiple handwritten documents that appeared to have been drafted by Khan and/or others, which expressed support for ISIL, the affidavit alleges. Some of the documents, including travel plans and materials referencing ISIL and jihad, are described in the complaint affidavit.
Khan was initially approached by CBP officers, and was later interviewed by FBI special agents at the airport.
Attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
This arrest and complaint were announced by Zachary T. Fardon, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert J. Holley, special agent in charge of the Chicago FBI office. This investigation is continuing, they said.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Hiller and Angel Krull, Northern District of Illinois, are prosecuting this case.
The public is reminded that a complaint contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.