SEATTLE, WA- A disturbing report comes to us out of Seattle, Washington, where a 20-year-old man was arrested at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on May 28 relative to criminal charges over alleged efforts to join Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), JihadWatch.org reported, citing numerous media sources.
ISIS is of course a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Elvin Hunter Bjorn Williams of Seattle was arrested as he was getting ready to board an international flight relative to a lengthy investigation where Williams was suspected of going to the Middle East to join ISIS and engage in terrorist activities in either the Middle East or back here in the United States.
“As alleged, Williams was determined to support ISIS either by traveling overseas to join and fight with the terrorist organization, or by conducting an attack here in the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers for the Justice Department’s National Security Division…
“This defendant proved persistent in his efforts to join ISIS—speaking with enthusiasm about acts of horrific bloodshed in the Middle East and here at home,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman for the Western District of Washington.
“I want to commend those citizens who contacted law enforcement—including his family and faith community—expressing concerns about the defendant’s radicalization. Their courage to speak up and work with law enforcement was important to ensure public safety.”
Newsweek reported that in early November of last year, a member of a Seattle-area Mosque contacted the FBI, expressing concern about Williams’ self-professed interest in ISIS propaganda. He had used electronic devices within the mosque to view ISIS videos depicting beheadings and other violent acts, the DOJ said.
The FBI utilized confidential assets close to Williams who helped them monitor his online activity. It is alleged that Williams spoke with ISIS radicals and communicated with others who he believed were ISIS recruiters. He also allegedly swore an oath of allegiance to the terrorist group the DOJ reported.
Williams indicated that if he couldn’t join the terrorist group in the Middle East, he would commit to an attack here in the homeland on the group’s behalf, Gorman said.
Williams was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
“The individual self-radicalized, pledged loyalty to ISIS and became consumed with activities to join the cause overseas,” said Special Agent in Charge Donald M. Voiret of the FBI Seattle Field Office.
“We are grateful for the concerned citizens and family members who reported his behavior on multiple occasions and all of the law enforcement agencies who worked tirelessly on this case. These combined efforts no doubt saved lives.”
One of the possible targets for Williams was the Seattle Pride parade, the same one by the way which is banning police officers from being a part of. Ironic, right?
KOMO News reported Williams said of the parade, “It’s one of the biggest pride parades in the United States. Plus, after COVID hits, there is going to be tons of people wanting to go to the gay pride parade,” the case file reported.
Williams planned to obtain a semi-truck and drive through the parade, running down both marchers and spectators, then getting out of the truck and opening fire on the crowd, documents said. Williams’ friend turned down the opportunity to join him and Williams scuttled the idea.
Last month, Williams booked flights from Seattle to Amsterdam and then on to Cairo where he planned to join ISIS.
Williams is only the latest American to be arrested for trying to aid and abet ISIS. This past April, the DOJ announced three similar arrests, Newsweek reported.
One such case involved a man named Benjamin Carpenter, 31, or Knoxville, Tennessee, who was accused of translating ISIS propaganda into English.
Carpenter who is also known as Abu Hamza was involved with a company called Ahlut-Tawhid Publications, an international organization which translates and publishes pro-ISIS materials. Some of those materials were shared by Carpenter with an undercover FBI agent whom he thought was affiliated with ISIS.
At around the same time, the FBI arrested a couple who were attempting to join ISIS. James Bradley and his wife Arwa Muthana allegedly wanted to commit a terrorist attack involving military recruits on US soil if they were unsuccessful in joining the group in the Middle East.
The couple was arrested as they attempted to board a cargo ship headed to Yemen. For an entire year prior to his being arrested, Bradly spoke at length to an undercover officer whom he believed to be connected with ISIS.
Newsweek reported that according to a 2015 study of 59 ISIS supporters, it was discovered that the average U.S.-born ISIS supporter is a 26-year-old male who has discussed ISIS on social media and is ethnically or racially diverse.
The Center of National Security at Fordham Law School, which conducted the study discovered that a third of ISIS supporters had converted to Islam and 81 percent expressed support for ISIS on social media. A small minority were either of Middle Eastern or Arab descent.
ISIS first rose to prominence, Newsweek said after the 2003 Iraq invasion by the United States and our allies. As of this year, ISIS has continued staging attacks in Iraq, as well as its neighbor Syria.
We recently reported on a Seattle-based “pride” group which wants to ban police from attending their parade and rally in the city. For more on that, we invite you to:
DIG DEEPER
The following article contains editorial content written by a retired Chief of Police and current staff writer for Law Enforcement Today.
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SEATTLE, WA- We’ve got a great idea we would like to suggest to the Seattle Police Department On June 26 and 27, have one giant case of blue flu.
Why, you may ask? Capitol Hill Pride, which is hosting its June march and rally on those dates has decided to ban police from the event, instead asking them to remain on the perimeter. Not that the police department should really give a rip, but their reasons are absurd.
The organization said they don’t want police to attend the rally because they are concerned about the police department’s ability to protect the public’s right to protest, KING-5 in Seattle reported. So we say, let the public “protest” away.
Because as we have seen over the past year, the left’s definition of “protest” usually involves businesses being destroyed, people getting beat up and cops getting attacked. We say, let them have at it…minus the cops getting attacked. Give them what they want.
“To the safety and courtesy of the LGBTQ and diversity community as well as the general public, our responsibility is to present a safe event and is dedicated to creating an atmosphere free of fear or harm for members of the community,” Capitol Hill Pride directors Charlette LeFevre and Philip Lipson said in a release.
“With the current Seattle lawsuits of police misconduct using blast balls and tear gas against peaceful protestors, the six names of the SPD who visited Washington DC Jan. 6th still to be released and their extent of action in the Capitol insurrection…Capitol Pride does not have confidence at this time in Seattle’s police ability to protect the public and to protect the public’s right to protest,” the release continued.
They cited several ongoing lawsuits against the Seattle Police alleging misconduct during last summer’s riots…er, “protests.” You know, the ones where police were attacked with bricks, frozen water bottles, commercial-grade fireworks…things like that.
The group is also expressing concern about six Seattle police officers who exercised their First Amendment rights to attend a rally in Washington, D.C. on January 6 where a couple hundred people were basically invited into the U.S. Capitol by Capitol police officers and a few got out of hand.
They also cited “ongoing concerns of white supremacy views” within police departments as their reasons behind the ban.
The group says they are hoping to work more closely with the fire department and will have “a medic unit” on site. Yes, one medic unit. Perhaps the fire department can utilize their deck guns to ward off the “peaceful” protesters when they start to break stuff.
To be clear, there are apparently two separate “pride” groups in Seattle.
Seattle Pride has chosen to have a virtual pride celebration this year due to the pandemic. Seattle Pride will have their virtual events over the same two dates. It is unknown if Seattle police will similarly be banned from watching the streaming event.
That group is also seeking community input (from Antifa and Black Lives Matter no doubt) regarding the organization’s involvement going forward with the Seattle Police Department.
This will be used in order to determine plans for next year’s event, which is supposed to revert back to an in-person celebration. That is, if Washington Gov. Jay Inslee gives up some of his “executive powers.”
For more on the “peaceful protests” Capitol Hill Pride is concerned about, we invite you to:
DIG DEEPER
SEATTLE, WA – With Seattle being one of the hot spots associated with protests that often devolve into destructive and violent riots, the city was unsurprisingly the host of such a recent event during the evening of March 13th.
But recently revealed video that was obtained by an individual who managed to infiltrate one of these protest groups who engage in this sort of destructive behavior offered an inside look into the inner workings of how these groups operate.
According to police, at least 14 people wound up being arrested during the evening of March 13th in connection with illegal activities that transpired during a protest at Occidental Park in Pioneer Square.
What occurred during the protest on said evening is essentially what one comes to expect from any “demonstration” or “protest” where those adorning all black – known as black bloc – insert themselves.
Essentially numerous people had gathered, started marching through the area, and then certain people within the group engaged in a variety of acts of vandalism and criminal damage.
But what many people haven’t been privy too is what is communicated internally within these groups – as in what they’re being told to do and not do by de facto leaders.
As it turns out, one individual infiltrated one of these groups on March 13th which showcased one of these protest/riot leaders admonishing protest participants for allowing some of the other protesters to get arrested.
An unidentified woman can be heard speaking to a group of protesters, saying the following:
“How does getting arrested help anybody?…It don’t cause now I gotta go sit in front of a jail for my friends.”
Another aspect that the captured video reveals is that these protest groups are a lot more organized than many give them credit for. The same woman can be heard delving into why they don’t go down certain areas when marching:
“Have you ever seen a march on Alaskan Way? You want to know why? Because there is water to our backs. Because there are only two ways we can get got.”
Furthermore, organizers behind these protests and riots are fully aware that police resources aren’t where they need to be to deter all criminal acts during these protests.
This woman on the video can be heard telling the group just that, saying that as long as they’re not committing felonies, then they’re unlikely to be targeted for an arrest:
“Seattle don’t have the resources. We can only get arrested for getting a ******* felony. Do your research on how our ******* cops handle things.”
Undercover video sheds new light on motives, tactics of Seattle protest grouphttps://t.co/7RrmlAorbF
— KATU News (@KATUNews) March 16, 2021
Acting Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz commented on what was revealed from the obtained video, saying the observations made by the woman on camera are somewhat of a half-truth:
“We are understaffed. However, we are still making arrests. And it doesn’t matter if it’s for felony or misdemeanor.”
Chief Diaz is not oblivious to how these groups work, acknowledging that there are tactics employed by these groups to drain police resources and destroy officer morale:
“They’ve acknowledged what their focus is: try and break the morale of the police department. They try to tie up our police resources.”
The acting Seattle Police chief is also aware that the temperature is likely going to be turned up by these various groups with the anniversary of George Floyd’s death getting closer – in conjunction with the ongoing trial related to his death as well.
Speaking of black-bloc protesters, Portland played host to another destructive protest on March 11th.
We at Law Enforcement Today recently reported on said protest. Here’s that previous report.
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PORTLAND, OR – A protest that occurred in Portland on March 11th turned destructive, with miscreants within the crowd focusing their destructive ire against the Federal courthouse within the city.
https://twitter.com/fvckcommies/status/1367951888801480706
The protest that bore the common elements of being Antifa-inspired – hosting demonstrators adorning black-bloc, many carrying umbrellas, and engaging and general acts of vandalism – occurred on March 11th in Portland.
According to online chatter preceding the protest, the protest was aiming to accomplish “Stop Line 3 – DA in solidarity with the Anishinaabe”. For those unaware of the common lingo within the inner circles that compose these protests, “DA” is a typical acronym that stands for “direct action”.
As for the reference to the “Anishinaabe”, apparently the Anishinaabe refers to Native Americans that would’ve been previously situated in portions of the northern United States and parts of Canada as well.
And the “Stop Line 3” is an obvious reference to the Line 3 oil pipeline, which has been a point of contention with extreme climate activists for some time.
What’s come to be expected from these sorts of protests pretty much played out as usual – starting off with protesters marching, chanting, and harassing those they perceive to be complicit in pipeline-related endeavors.
https://twitter.com/fvckcommies/status/1370134040725032964
Employees at both a local Chase Bank and Wells Fargo endured varying degrees of harassment from those within the crowd.
Apparently there was some sort of heated interaction between demonstrators and a Chase Bank employee, with a gun allegedly getting produced – but no further incidents transpired related to the interaction thereafter.
https://twitter.com/fvckcommies/status/1370140721815162886
After members of the group took out their frustrations on various bank employees, the group moved on to the Federal courthouse to start harassing people within the building.
Video from some of the interaction between courthouse employees and the hostile crowd initially started as some back-and-forth shouting.
However, things escalated into vandalism and assault, with one protester throwing some sort of liquid at a courthouse employee.
https://twitter.com/fvckcommies/status/1370147797811539982
Due to the increasingly destructive behaviors exhibited by the crowd, federal agents wound up lining the outside of the courthouse and eventually had to use crowd control munitions at times.
https://twitter.com/fvckcommies/status/1370148666179215360
Thereafter, there were attempts by federal agents to move the crowd away from the courthouse, which was initially successful – but only for a brief period, as the crowd had re-amassed out front again and upped the destructive ante.
Once the agents had moved back into the building, one of the courthouse windows among the facade wound up getting shattered.
https://twitter.com/fvckcommies/status/1370152235032805386
After the window breaking incident, the group wound up dispersing that afternoon.
But alas – the group wound up returning to the courthouse again that evening, after work crews had spent the remainder of the afternoon trying to fortify vulnerabilities to the courthouse exterior like boarding up windows.
https://twitter.com/fvckcommies/status/1370232262231535618
https://twitter.com/fvckcommies/status/1370239021683728384
After various members from within the group that had reassembled outside of the courthouse and removed some of the plywood used to protect windows – additional windows were shattered, and then the flag burning commenced.
https://twitter.com/fvckcommies/status/1370239948318720001
These actions taken by the group of protesters once again prompted a response from federal agents, who used some crowd control munitions to keep the crowd at bay and deter additional acts of vandalism.
https://twitter.com/fvckcommies/status/1370249211166519299
Some additional fires were set by malefactors present, as well as the targeting of windows continued. Bad actors were said to have continued trying to throw various projectiles at federal agents as well.
https://twitter.com/fvckcommies/status/1370258864042618883
Federal agents wound up upgrading the use of force employed while attempting to push the protesters back away from the courthouse, using flashbangs in concurrence with other previously used non-lethal munitions.
The federal agents then moved back to the courthouse front again, where they and protesters engaged in a sort of standoff.
https://twitter.com/fvckcommies/status/1370264704736768002
This sort of back-and-forth carried on throughout the evening, with some arrests occurring throughout the debacle. Local accounts from the destructive protest claim that at least four people were arrested.
There was reportedly an attempt of an additional targeted arrest that proved unsuccessful by authorities after protesters allegedly intervened in some form to hinder the arrest.
https://twitter.com/fvckcommies/status/1370294100470157312
Things wound up calming down sometime thereafter, from local reports on the matter.
It’s unclear whether demonstrations of this caliber will continue to transpire outside of the courthouse – but the possibility of such is likely considering the notoriety of the are.
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