ISIS Supporter Wanted To Build Sleeper Cell In U.S.

AKRON, OH — An Akron jury has convicted a 37-year-old North Carolina man for trying to build a sleeper cell of terrorists in the U.S. Erick Jamal Hendricks, originally from Charlotte, tried to recruit people to perform terrorist acts for ISIS, according to the Department of Justice. He will be sentenced at a later date.

“Erick Jamal Hendricks represents the significant online ISIS threat that we face daily – a U.S. citizen that becomes radicalized online and attempts to recruit and train individuals to commit jihad, all while on American soil,” Special Agent in Charge of the Cleveland FBI Office Stephen D. Anthony said.

Court documents show that Hendricks tried to recruit and train people for ISIS, mostly via social media. He was eventually caught by law enforcement using undercover agents, traditional investigation and because one of his recruits, Amir Al-Ghazi, was caught and arrested in June 2015.

Al-Ghazi at the time was attempting to buy an AK-47 assault rifle and ammunition. He didn't know he was trying to buy the weapon from an undercover police officer. He has already pleaded guilty to helping a designated terrorist organization and is awaiting sentencing.

Al-Ghazi had pledged allegiance to ISIS on social media and had expressed interest in attacking the United States, prompting law enforcement to track him. It turns out, Al-Ghazi was recruited by Hendricks.

Hendricks reached out to Al-Ghazi on social media in the spring of 2015. He told Al-Ghazi he "needed people" and wanted to meet him in person. Hendricks went on to say that he had already recruited several "brothers," located in Texas and Mexico, and he wanted to get everyone together, for training, according to court documents and trial testimony.

While recruiting him, Hendricks would test Al-Ghazi's religious knowledge and his commitment, asking him about his willingness to commit "jihad" and die as a "martyr." He wanted to know how much Al-Ghazi wanted to enter "jannah" (paradise).

Al-Ghazi thought this meant Hendricks was recruiting people to commit terrorist attacks, the Department of Justice said. In fact, Al-Ghazi also believed that some of Hendricks' "brothers" may have been responsible for a thwarted terrorist attack in Garland, Texas on May 3, 2015.

An undercover FBI agent also spoke with Hendricks on social media. Hendricks told the agent, on April 16, 2015, that he should download a document called "GPS for the Ghuraba in the U.S." The document included a section called "Final Advice" which said that "brothers and sisters" should not allow themselves to go to jail. It went on to encourage Muslims to die as a "Shaheed" (martyr) and to boobie trap their homes. Recruits were told never leave home without an AK-47 or M16.

Hendricks complained about having to sift through recruits everyday, telling the undercover agent that "Allah chooses only the few" and "Everyday I do this day in and day out," according to court document and trial testimony.

When talking to another person, Hendricks said he wanted to create a sleeper cell that would be trained and housed in a secure compound and would conduct attacks throughout the United States. He specifically mentioned wanting to target military members whose information had been released by ISIS and a woman who organized the “Draw Prophet Mohammad contest.”

Hendricks said he had 10 people already signed up for his sleeper cell, court document and trial testimony revealed.

Then, in April 23, 2015, the 37-year-old Hendricks reached out to Elton Sampson on social media. Sampson and Nadir Hamid Soofi attacked the "First Annual Muhammad Art Exhibit Contest" in Garland, Texas. The two opened fire, wounding a security guard. Police soon arrived on the scene and shot and killed both Sampson and Soofi.

Hendricks also spoke to the undercover FBI agent about the exhibit contest in Garland. He told the agent to go to the event and "If you see that pig (meaning the organizer of the contest) make your ‘voice’ heard against her.”

"This defendant recruited and directed people here in the United States to launch attacks against our citizens, and attempted to recruit others to engage in similar attacks,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. “Protecting our citizens from terrorist attacks remains our priority and our community will be safer with this defendant behind bars.”

FBI offices across the U.S. coordinated in the investigation, including offices in Cleveland, Columbia, South Carolina, Baltimore and Charlotte, North Carolina.

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