A federal jury in Bowling Green, Kentucky, convicted a man of providing material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), conspiring to provide material support to ISIS, and receiving military-type training from ISIS. The organization is designated as a foreign terrorist group.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on June 3, 2014, Mirsad Hariz Adem Ramic, 34, along with two co-conspirators coordinated their departure from the United States. They arrived separately in Istanbul, Turkey, where they abandoned their original travel plans and purchased tickets to fly to Gaziantep near the Turkey-Syrian border. From there, Ramic and his co-conspirators crossed into Syria and joined ISIS.
The evidence at trial established that after joining ISIS, Ramic attended an ISIS training camp where he received military-type training. A photograph posted on social media depicted him wearing camouflage clothing and standing in front of a truck outfitted with an anti-aircraft gun alongside the ISIS flag.
Ramic remained in contact with his co-conspirators while discussing using an anti-aircraft weapon to shoot at planes. Discussions also included topics such as jihad, martyrdom, and fighting for ISIS. As a dual U.S.-Bosnian citizen, Ramic joined an ISIS fighting unit primarily composed of Bosnian foreign fighters and participated in an offensive in Kobane, Syria.
Ramic has been in federal custody since December 2021 following his deportation from Turkey back to the United States.
He is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 5 and faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison along with a fine of $750,000 and a term of supervised release up to life. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division stated: "This conviction demonstrates our commitment to holding accountable those who support terrorist organizations." U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett for the Western District of Kentucky emphasized: "We will continue to pursue justice against individuals who threaten our national security." Executive Assistant Director Larissa L. Knapp of the FBI’s National Security Branch confirmed that "the FBI is investigating this case."
Trial Attorneys Kevin C. Nunnally and Jessica Fender from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case along with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Judd and Christopher Tieke for the Western District of Kentucky.