A federal jury in Michigan convicted 37-year-old Aws Mohammed Naser, formerly of Westland, of attempting to provide material support to Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham and illegal possession of a destructive device. The trial lasted five weeks, with the jury deliberating for about six hours. Authorities found a bomb in Naser’s basement. He had previously served a prison sentence for armed robbery and was twice denied permission to travel abroad to join Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham. U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. said, "Defendant Aws Mohammed 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," as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, Cheyvoryea Gibson, stated the FBI’s commitment to national safety. Gibson said, "Anyone who associates with a terrorist organization or supports violent extremism will be identified, disrupted, and prosecuted." According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI Detroit Joint Terrorism Task Force played a key role in protecting the community from such threats.
Court evidence showed that Naser posted Salafi-Jihadist content on YouTube and had connections with jihadists, including Russell Dennison, who died in Syria in 2019. In 2013, Naser was denied boarding a flight to Lebanon due to prior criminal history. He later supported ISIS domestically, using social media and assembling a destructive device that was seized by the FBI. He faces up to 20 years for supporting Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham and up to 15 years for the device. Sentencing will be determined by a federal judge based on guidelines and legal factors. The U.S. Attorney’s Office described the case as part of efforts against domestic terrorism.
