Woman gets 71⁄2 years in prison for ISIS support
A Cudahy woman who supported ISIS over social media has been sentenced to 71⁄2 years in federal prison.
Waheba Issa Dais, 48, pleaded guilty last year to one count of knowingly attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization. A second count from 2018 indictment was dismissed.
Federal prosecutors said Dais, a mother of three, hacked into Facebook and other social media accounts to pledge allegiance to ISIS, recruit others to its cause, and provide instructions about making bombs and biological weapons, often using encrypted channels.
“This case is a clear example of the influence a foreign terrorist organization such as ISIS can have right here in Wisconsin,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Hughes said in a news release..
“The significant sentencing underscores the serious consequences for those who choose to support terrorist groups and their plans to attack our citizens,” he said.
According to court records, the investigation appears to have started in January after Facebook security alerted the FBI in January 2018 that there was a “Wisconsin-based user posting detailed instructions on how to make explosive vest bombs in support of ISIS.” Her activity began in 2017 or earlier, records suggest.
Dais, a native of Jerusalem, came to the U.S. in 1992 lawfully without a passport because of her marriage to a U.S. citizen. The couple divorced in 2003, according to court records. She is now a lawful permanent resident.
Dais “became an influential voice in ISIS’ online echo chamber,” urging attacks in other countries by supporters who couldn’t travel, and even suggesting targets.
They said Dais’ efforts were too diligent, voluminous and effective to have been merely the activities of someone just fooling around on the internet out of boredom, as she initially told agents upon her arrest.
The government recommended a sentence of 20 years in prison, followed by lifetime supervision. U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman opted for the shorter term, plus three years of supervision when Dais leaves prison.