FBI Nabs US National Guardsman and His Cousin for Attempting to Join ISIL

The 22-year-old Army National Guard Specialist Hasan Edmonds was arrested at Chicago Midway National Airport attempting to fly to Egypt, according to law enforcement officials. His cousin, 29-year-old Jonas Edmonds, was arrested at his home.

Both Illinois residents have been on the FBI’s radar since late last year, when Hasan first planned to join the terror group while Jonas plotted an attack within the US, the Justice Department said.

In the past eighteen months, around 30 people in the US have been charged with attempts to join terrorist groups in Syria or Iraq, including Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, an Air Force veteran indicted last week for allegedly supporting IS.

The FBI found 180 images and videos supporting their claim on Pugh’s laptop.