Terrorism in Texas
Since the start of the Syrian revolution in March 2011, five men have been indicted in federal court in Texas for alleged terrorist activities, four of which involved the Islamic State, also known as ISIL and ISIS.
Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan: 24, of Houston, is charged with providing material support to ISIS and lying during the application process for citizenship by saying he was not affiliated with a terrorist organization and had not received weapons training from a military or paramilitary group. Al Hardan, a Palestinian national who was born in Iraq, came to the U.S. in 2009 as a refugee. He is set to stand trial in Houston starting Nov. 8.
Asher Abid Khan: 22, of Spring, is accused of trying to join jihadis in Syria in a trip that was interrupted by what he thought was a family emergency in Houston. Khan, a U.S. citizen, is currently out on bail and studying mechanical engineering at the University of Houston. He is set to stand trial Dec. 5 on charges he provided material support to ISIS.
Rahatul Ashikim Khan: 24, of Round Rock, pleaded guilty to providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, al-Shabab, from 2011 to 2012. A U.S. citizen born in Bangladesh, he is serving a 10-year sentence that will be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Khan led a group of recruits who had pledged support to the late mujahadeen commander, Mullah Omar.
Michael Todd Wolfe: also known as Faruk, 25, a Houston native living in Austin, was one of Rahatul Khan’s recruits and pleaded guilty to providing material support to a terrorist group. Wolfe, a U.S. citizen, was sentenced to 82 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He originally wanted to join Al-Qaida forces in Syria through the Nusrah Front but later opted for ISIS. Authorities stopped him at George H.W. Bush International Airport in June 2015 as he was ready to board a flight to Toronto en route to Syria, under the guise that he would be attending a concert in Europe.
Bilal Abood: 38, of Mesquite, pleaded guilty to attempting to travel to Syria to fight the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Abood, a U.S. citizen originally from Iraq, had served as a translator for the U.S. military. He was sentenced to four years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. FBI investigators found evidence on his Twitter account he had pledged allegiance to the caliphate and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.