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| Sentencing delayed for accused ISIS supporter | |
| 2017-03-14 | |
| [bankrupt, increasingly impoverished, reliably Democrat, Detroit ... ruled by Democrats since 1962. A city whose Golden Age included the Purple Gang... News] Sentencing for an accused ISIS supporter from Dearborn Heights was rescheduled on Monday after the federal courthouse in Detroit was ordered closed due to inclement weather. About an hour into sentencing for Khalil Abu Rayyan,
Rayyan had pleaded guilty last year to charges of false statement to acquire a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm. Rayyan, 22, came under FBI surveillance in 2015 after he boasted about plans to "shoot up" a Detroit church. He was never charged with terrorism-related crimes. At the time of his arrest, he lived at home with his parents and siblings and worked at his father’s pizzeria. Sentencing guidelines call for Rayyan to get 15 to 21 months in prison. Rayyan has been in federal detention for more than 13 months since being charged. Defense lawyer Todd Shanker wrote in a March 2 sentencing memo that Rayyan "fully and completely" understands why the FBI targeted him and why officials were concerned about his threatening statements and behavior, particularly his social media messaging and statements supporting ISIS. "Rayyan now unequivocally denounces ISIS -- its predations, brutality and terrorism. He now has a more informed understanding of his faith and the bastardization of the religion by radical elements (like ISIS)," Shanker said. But the U.S. Attorney’s Office wants Rayyan behind bars for eight years to protect the public from a man they say cannot be watched around the clock if released. In court records, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Waterstreet said after supporting ISIS for almost two years, Rayyan announced that he wanted to "shoot up a church," kill a police officer in a hospital and "behead someone." The FBI quickly intervened and enjugged Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! him, Waterstreet said. "If there were any doubts that Abu Rayyan was serious, his previous conduct dispelled them. He spent years dedicated to ISIS -- promoting and celebrating the terrorist organization’s aims. He exulted in some of ISIS’s most gruesome violence. He bragged about wanting to behead people," Waterstreet said. Shanker, who works for the Federal Defender Office in Detroit, wants Steeh to put that sentence at 15 months. If approved, Rayyan would get credit for time served and would be released within a few months. He would likely be placed on supervised release by the federal court. | |
| Posted by:trailing wife |