Detroit, Michigan - In a criminal indictment unsealed in the Eastern District of Michigan Tuesday, Ibraheem Izzy Musaibli, 28, of Dearborn, Michigan, was charged with providing and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.
The indictment was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Schneider of the Eastern District of Michigan and Timothy R. Slater, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit, Michigan office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Musaibli, a natural-born U.S. citizen, was detained overseas by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and recently transferred into U.S. custody. Musaibli will be arraigned on the indictment at the federal courthouse in Detroit on Wednesday, July 25, 2018, at 1:00 p.m. EDT.
The indictment alleges that from about April 2015 through June 2018, Musaibli knowingly provided and attempted to provide material support to ISIS, in the form of personnel and services, knowing that ISIS is a terrorist organization and that ISIS engages in terrorism.
“The National Security Division will not tolerate threats to our country from terrorist organizations like ISIS—not least of all those that come from our own citizens,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers. “Musaibli’s alleged provision of material support to ISIS put the United States at risk and may have endangered the lives of countless innocent people. I am confident that he will face justice for his crimes, and I hope that his case sends a clear message that we will hold our citizens accountable who are apprehended overseas and tried to join a terrorist organization such as ISIS. I am also grateful to our law enforcement and military partners who made this prosecution possible.”
“The indictment alleges that, for a substantial period of time, defendant Musaibli provided material support to ISIS — one of the most violent terrorist organizations in the world. During that same time, American-backed coalition forces were fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria,” United States Attorney Matthew Schneider stated. “We will vigorously prosecute anyone who provides, or even attempts to provide, support to terrorists.”
“The indictment in this case serves as a reminder of the danger posed by those who travel overseas to join forces with ISIS,” said Timothy R. Slater, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Division of the FBI. “The FBI is determined to find these individuals and bring them to justice. Bringing charges in these cases will remind others what can happen if they provide assistance to foreign terrorist organizations.”
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cathleen Corken and Kevin Mulcahy of the Eastern District of Michigan with assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.