Another Jihadi Wannabe Arrested, No Terrorism Charge

Detroit News:

Khalil Abu-Rayyan allegedly gushed about his fondness for violent acts of terrorism in text message exchanges with an undercover agent and during an in-custody police interview.

Even before he drew the attention of law enforcement in 2015, the 21-year-old Muslim from Dearborn Heights had retweeted, liked and commented on Islamic State propaganda on his Twitter account in 2014, authorities said.

Once face to face with federal investigators in October, authorities say Abu-Rayyan admitted to hearing voices in his head that told him to do terrible things: burn people alive, tie them up, cut their tongues.

“Shooting and death makes me excited. I love to hear people scream and beg. I wish I had my gun,” Abu-Rayyan told the FBI undercover agent in a text message.

Yet Abu-Rayyan’s defense lawyer says his client is no terrorist. Rather, he is a socially awkward pizzeria worker who lives with his parents, smokes marijuana and has no romantic experience with women.

Abu-Rayyan was bragging of jihad and martyrdom to impress a woman, who turned out to be an undercover agent, his lawyer says, adding that black Heritage .22- caliber revolver he was caught carrying illegally is recommended for Boy Scout target shooting, not acts of terrorism.

And he never carried out any of the violent acts he vowed to commit.

Obviously, because he didn’t get the chance.

Both sides of Abu-Rayyan emerged in a federal courtroom last month in Detroit where prosecutors charged him with two felony counts involving firearms and drugs — but not terrorism.

The case against Abu-Rayyan has focused on his alleged threats of violence and has raised questions, including whether the government successfully thwarted Abu-Rayyan’s alleged plan for a terrorist attack on a Metro Detroit church, or whether the FBI’s undercover agent radicalized a vulnerable young man with no criminal past until 2015.

Oh yes, it’s all the FBI’s fault.

Prosecutors contend the best place for Abu-Rayyan is behind bars.

Agreed. I wonder what his immigration status is – this detail is routinely omitted in reporting criminal cases of all kinds. Very likely he is a second generation Muslim immigrant.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Waterstreet, Abu-Rayyan had been retweeting, liking and commenting on IS propaganda on his Twitter account that included videos of a Jordanian fighter pilot being burned alive, men executed by being thrown from a high-rise building, the beheading of Christians in Egypt and news of IS victories.

A detention hearing held last month revealed that Abu-Rayyan made multiple threats of violence against the community and said he wanted to kill a police officer who arrested him in Detroit on Oct. 7. Besides the federal case, his arrest also brought charges in Wayne County on possession of marijuana and carrying a concealed weapon.

Gun not found

He boasted of having an AK-47 with plenty of ammunition to shoot up a nearby church, yet police never found such a gun or bullets to go with it.

Asked whether they explored other options before arresting Abu-Rayyan, U.S. Attorney spokeswoman Gina Balaya said: “Although intervention with a family is appropriate in some cases, when a defendant poses a specific threat of violence, we need take action that protects public safety.”

This man is an adult.

Todd Shanker, Abu-Rayyan’s attorney and a member of the Federal Defender’s Office in Detroit, declined to comment. In court, Shanker said the case raises an interesting point that law enforcement talks about trying to build bonds with the Islamic community in Metro Detroit but don’t always follow through.

“This would have been the perfect time to talk to Ray (his father) and say we’ve seen (Khalil’s) Twitter feed, ask him to stop. Instead, they took advantage of this young man and inserted an undercover,” Shanker said in court.

Please.