Kentucky man convicted of conspiracy, support for U.S.-designated terror organization
A Kentucky resident has been convicted of providing support to a terrorist organization, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
A jury convicted Mirsad Hariz Adem Ramic, 34, of Bowling Green, this week on charges of providing material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, known as ISIS; conspiracy to support the organization; and receiving military training.
The U.S. government classifies ISIS as a terrorist organization and says it carries out attacks around the world.
Ramic came to the U.S. as a refugee from Bosnia when he was about 10 years old and has dual U.S.-Bosnian citizenship, according to federal authorities.
He and two other men, who had been students at Western Kentucky University, allegedly left Kentucky in June 2014, traveled to Turkey and then crossed into Syria and joined ISIS.
Evidence shows Ramic got training from ISIS
The evidence showed that Ramic received military-type training at an ISIS camp and later took part in fighting for the group in Syria.
For instance, prosecutors said in one motion that in July 2014, Ramic sent a message to one of the men who had gone to Syria with him describing how he had used an anti-aircraft weapons to shoot at airplanes.
Federal authorities said there also was a photo of Ramic on social media that showed him wearing camouflage clothing and standing in front of a truck that had an anti-aircraft gun on it and an ISIS flag.
Messages between Ramic and one of the men who traveled with him indicated the third man was killed in 2015, according to a prosecution motion.
A 2016 criminal complaint from FBI
An FBI agent swore out a criminal complaint against him in 2016, but the case took years to prosecute because Ramic was in prison in Turkey.
He has been in custody since he was sent back to the U.S. in December 2021.
Ramic is to be sentenced in September. He faces up to 50 years in prison, according to the Department of Justice.
