WESTLAND, Mich. – A 37-year-old man from Westland has been convicted of trying to provide support to ISIS and owning a destructive device.
Officials said between 2011 and October 2017, Aws Mohammed Naser tried to provide support to ISIS in the form of personnel -- including himself -- and services.
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Naser was charged in 2022. On Tuesday, June 3, Naser was convicted by a jury on two charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and felon in possession of a destructive device.
He faces up to 20 years in federal prison for attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization and up to 15 years for possessing a destructive device.
Background, radicalization, prior crimes
Evidence from the trial revealed that Naser became radicalized and shared extreme ideological content on his YouTube channel. He formed a close bond with Russell Dennison -- an aspiring Salafi-Jihadist preacher -- and together they traveled to Iraq in early 2012.
Authorities said Naser returned to Michigan in the summer of 2012, while Dennison traveled to Syria and joined a group that was a precursor to ISIS. Naser reportedly planned to join Dennison and attempted to leave for Syria twice.
Dennison is believed to have been killed in while with ISIS in 2019.
After a failed attempt in November 2012, Naser allegedly purchased a ticket for Beirut in January 2013. Authorities said hours before his flight, he robbed a gas station and attempted to board the plane with $2,000 but was denied boarding.
He was convicted of armed robbery and served a three-year sentence.
Shift to domestic support
After being released from prison and unable to travel to join ISIS, Naser reportedly turned his focus to supporting the group within the United States. He engaged in covert activities by creating social media accounts and joining private ISIS supporters’ chatrooms to access jihadi propaganda and information on explosives.
Authorities said Naser experimented with making explosives and operating drones, which led to an FBI search of his home and vehicle in October 2017, where they found a readily assembleable destructive device.
