A jury has convicted a Kentucky man on multiple terrorism charges. The man, who holds both U.S. and Bosnian citizenship, has offered fundamental material support to the ISIS terrorist group, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Wednesday.
According to a DOJ press release, Mirsad Hariz Adem Ramic, 34, traveled to Turkey in 2014 shortly after he joined ISIS, which is a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization.
“Mirsad Hariz Adem Ramic and two co-conspirators coordinated their departure from the United States, arriving separately in Istanbul, Turkey. They abandoned the rest of their purchased travel itineraries, and purchased tickets to fly to Gaziantep, Turkey,” as per the release.
After they arrived in Gaziantep, Mr. Ramic and the two co-conspirators crossed into Syria to attend an ISIS training camp.
“The evidence at trial established that after joining ISIS, Ramic attended an ISIS training camp, where he received military-type training,” the release states.
The DOJ also pointed to photographic evidence against Mr. Ramic, which was posted on social media.
“A photograph of Ramic, posted on social media, depicted him, among other things, wearing camouflage clothing and standing in front of a truck outfitted with an anti-aircraft gun and the ISIS flag.”
Mr. Ramic proceeded to join an ISIS fighting unit, which was mostly comprised of Bosnian foreign fighters. He later took part in an offensive by the terrorist group in Kobane, Syria.
According to the DOJ, Mr. Ramic and his co-conspirators remained in contact afterward. Their discussions involved multiple conversations about terrorist activities, including the “use of an anti-aircraft weapon to shoot at planes.”
“Ramic and his co-conspirators also discussed jihad, martyrdom and fighting for ISIS,” the release went on to say.
Mr. Ramic was deported from Turkey to the United States in 2021 and has since remained in federal custody, where he will remain until his sentencing, which is scheduled for Sept. 5.
The charges against him include “ providing material support to ISIS, conspiring to provide material support to ISIS and receiving military-type training from ISIS.”
If convicted of the charges, Mr. Ramic could face a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison, in addition to a $750,000 fine and a term of supervised release up to life, to be decided by a federal district judge after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
An investigation into the case is currently being conducted by the FBI.
