GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan (WLNS) – Muse Muse, 22, of Lansing has been convicted of conspiracy to materially support ISIS. He faces 78 months ‘imprisonment and then 10 years’ supervised release.
Muse Muse was arrested along with several other men at the Gerald R Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids on January 21, 2019. Muse was on his way to Mogadishu, Somalia, with the aim of joining ISIS. His brother Mohamud Muse and his cousin Mohamed Haji were also arrested.
Muse confessed immediately after his arrest, saying, ” [I] wanted to join the IS in Somalia so that I don’t have to attack the USA. “
In December 2018 and January 2019, Muse was in contact with someone he believed to be an ISIS fighter. The fighter transferred money to Muse to buy the plane tickets, where he would meet the representative in Mogadishu.
All three defendants swear allegiance to IS in recorded videos.
Muse and the other defendants celebrated a terrorist attack in New York in 2017 and said in a separate text “I am a terrorist” and “I am going to Somalia, God willing”.
“In January 2020, Muse Muse admitted that he: (1) agreed with one or more individuals to provide material assistance or resources (including personnel) to ISIS, a foreign terrorist organization; (2) knew that ISIS was a designated foreign terrorist organization or had been or was involved in terrorist activities or terrorism; and (3) is a US citizen and that portion of the offense was committed in the United States. Muse Muse also admitted that the people he conspired with were his relatives and co-defendants, Mohamud Muse and Mohamed Haji. Mohamud Muse and Haji have also pleaded guilty to the conspiracy and are awaiting conviction, ”the Justice Department said in a press release.
“Muse Muse’s determination to join IS and harm Americans in Michigan and abroad was well documented during the investigation,” said Timothy Waters, the FBI’s Detroit Division special agent in charge. “The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force works every day to prevent violence before it occurs, and I again commend the outstanding work of our partners in the JTTF, who work around the clock to keep Michigan citizens safe . “
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