A 22-year-old Seattle man was sentenced to four years in prison Tuesday for attempting to join the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in 2021, according to the US Department of Justice.
The US District Court in Seattle said Elvin Hunter Bgorn Williams was arrested on May 28, 2021 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after authorities were notified of his wishes to travel to the Middle East to join to ISIS as “executioner” or “machine”. gunner.”
Williams was charged with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. In addition to his four-year sentence, he also received 15 years of supervised release.
According to a DOJ press release, U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour said Williams received a sentence “far less” than the government’s request of 15 years because of his “mental health and history of mental health difficulties.”
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Elvin Hunter Bgorn Williams, 22, was arrested on May 28, 2021 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for attempting to leave the country to join ISIS.
US Attorney Nick Brown said Williams persisted in his plans to join ISIS in committing acts of violence, “despite intervention by his family, his school, members of his mosque and the FBI.”
“In fact, he repeatedly declared his intention to commit an act of terror here at home if he couldn’t travel abroad,” Brown said. “Mr. Williams continues to pose a risk to the community. It will be vitally important that he is closely monitored after he is released from prison.”
Fox 13 Seattle reported that Williams’ mother cut off Internet service at her home to prevent her from accessing extremist websites. Williams had also been banned from social media for pro-ISIS posts, according to his mother.
A Seattle-area mosque also tried to dissuade Williams, helping him with room, board and tuition for a semester of college. They also gave him a cell phone and a laptop in hopes of using them to find a job, the outlet reported.
The electronic devices were taken from Williams after a member of the mosque allegedly saw him using his phone to watch extremist videos. When they recovered his phone, they found more violent videos and bomb-making instructions.
He was later reported to the FBI.
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According to the plea agreement, Williams began telling his family that he was a member of ISIS in November 2020. The document said he also told people he was seeking “martyrdom,” that he “had no problem killing” and that expected to be involved with beheadings
He also reportedly posted a video on Facebook pledging allegiance to one of the terrorist organization’s leaders.
The FBI monitored Williams’ activity with the help of confidential sources and was aware of his efforts to leave the country. He was contacting people he believed to be ISIS recruiters to lead him to an ISIS terror cell in the Middle East or other parts of the world.
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Elvin Hunter Bgorn Williams, 22, was sentenced to four years in prison after attempting to travel to the Middle East to join ISIS.
(US Department of Justice)
In May 2021, Williams obtained his passport and pawned a laptop to raise money for his planned trip. According to reports, she had a plane ticket from Seattle to Amsterdam to Egypt. When Williams went to the airport to catch his flight to Amsterdam, authorities met him at the gate and arrested him.
When prosecutors asked the court for a 15-year sentence, they wrote that Williams’ case was “far from unique” and that ISIS and other terror groups use online propaganda communication tools to recruit potential supporters.
“Too many Americans fall prey to this recruitment and attempt to travel to fight terrorist groups abroad or seek to carry out domestic attacks on behalf of terrorist organizations,” the statement read.
The United States Department of Justice is seen on June 11, 2021 in Washington, DC.
(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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“Mr. Williams demonstrated through his actions that he was willing to join the Islamic State in the hope of furthering its ideology through violence,” said Richard A. Collodi, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “He took concrete steps to fund his activities, purchase equipment and travel to the Middle East. I am grateful for how law enforcement was able to step in and stop him before he could achieve his goal.”
