A Bowling Green man with dual U.S.- Bosnian citizenship has been arrested by the FBI and charged with “providing material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS),” according to an unsealed federal indictment.
Mirsad Hariz Adem Ramic, 31, is also charged with receiving military-type training from ISIS, a foreign terrorist organization.
He is being held in the Grayson County Detention Center.
According to court documents, on June 3, 2014, Ramic and two co-conspirators each departed the United States for Istanbul, Turkey, in order to support ISIS. All three then purchased tickets with cash to fly to Gaziantep, Turkey, a city located near the border with Syria. From there, Ramic and the two co-conspirators crossed the Syrian border to join ISIS.
After joining ISIS, federal officials said Ramic attended an ISIS training camp where he received weapons and physical training and fired an AK-47. The FBI obtained photographs of Ramic in ISIS territory which depict him wearing camouflage clothing and standing in front of a pickup truck outfitted with an anti-aircraft gun and the ISIS flag. A second photograph of Ramic depicts him holding a rifle.
After joining ISIS, Ramic and his co-conspirators remained in contact with each other and discussed, among other things, Ramic’s presence in Raqqa, Syria, and his use of an anti-aircraft weapon to shoot at planes.
Ramic and his co-conspirators also discussed jihad, martyrdom and fighting for ISIS. After joining ISIS, one of Ramic’s co-conspirators sent two e-mails to Western Kentucky University, stating that he had traveled to Syria to join ISIS and expressing his desire that ISIS conquer the United States.
Ramic had been incarcerated in Turkey before being deported to the the U.S. Thursday night.
If convicted of all charged offenses, Ramic faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison, a fine of $750,000 and term of supervised release up to life. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI is investigating the case.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
