Would-Be Terrorist Turned Down By a Virginia Gun Dealer

Brittany M. Hughes | July 5, 2016
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A Virginia resident and former member of the Army National Guard just got picked up Sunday by the FBI and charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, after which he reportedly told authorities he had “often thought about conducting an attack” on U.S. soil.

The Justice Department stated in a press release that Mohamen Jalloh was in contact with an ISIS member, now deceased, who introduced him to an FBI source posing as an ISIS member in the United States. Jalloh met with the undercover informant twice, during which he admitted he was looking to carry out a Fort Hood-style attack he planned to carry out sometime during the month of Ramadan.

Interestingly enough, especially for those who blame guns and the NRA for every mass shooting rather than the terrorists who pull the trigger, the guy had apparently tried several times to buy a gun but was repeatedly turned down -- including by a licensed firearms dealer in Northern Virginia.

According to the press release from the Justice Department released Thursday:

Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former member of the Army National Guard, was arrested on July 3 for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).  According to the complaint, Jalloh is alleged to have attempted to provide services by assisting in the procurement of weapons to be used in what he believed was going to be an attack on U.S. soil committed in the name of ISIL.

The press release added:

In June 2016, Jalloh travelled to North Carolina and made multiple unsuccessful attempts to obtain firearms.  On July 2, Jalloh went to a gun dealership in northern Virginia, where he purchased and test-fired a Stag Arms assault rifle.  Unbeknownst to Jalloh, the rifle was rendered inoperable before he left the dealership with the weapon.  Jalloh was arrested the following day and the FBI seized the rifle.

The complaint affidavit provided by the DoJ shows the FBI had tracked Jollah to the gun store and contacted store workers, who said they hadn't sold Jollah a gun because he didn't have the proper identification. When Jollah returned the following day with his Virginia driver's license and passport, store workers made sure he left with an inoperable weapon. The FBI arrested Jollah the next day, July 3.

The press release states Jalloh had decided to quit the National Guard and seek to join ISIS after listening to online lectures from radical cleric Anwar al-Awlakia, a now-deceased Al-Qaeda leader.

Jalloh is looking at a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for his role in trying to obtain materials for ISIS, as well as helping them recruit new members.

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