Sentencing postponed for Aurora man who conspired to support ISIS
Sentencing for an Aurora man who admitted conspiring to assist foreign terrorists has been postponed.
Sentencing had been set for Wednesday for Jonas Edmonds, 30, who pleaded guilty in December to conspiring to support Islamic State terrorists. He also admitted making false statements to federal officers. In plea negotiations, prosecutors and Edmonds agreed to a sentence of 21 years, though the judge is not bound by it.
Edmonds' cousin, former Army National Guard member Hasan Edmonds, 23, pleaded guilty in December to conspiring to provide material support and attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization in exchange for a maximum sentence of 30 years.
Both men now are set to be sentenced on March 14 by U.S. District Judge John Z. Lee.
In January 2015, Hasan Edmonds began communicating online with someone he believed was an Islamic State fighter in Libya but who was really an undercover FBI agent. During those conversations Hasan Edmonds expressed his support for the group and his intent to travel to the Middle East to join them. He also indicated he and Jonas would commit attacks in the U.S. if ordered to do so.
The cousins told another FBI undercover agent of their plans to attack Hasan Edmond's National Guard unit at its Joliet base and kill anywhere from 100 to 150 people, prosecutors said.
Hasan Edmonds was arrested March 24 at Midway International Airport in Chicago as he was about to board a flight to Cairo, Egypt. Jonas Edmonds was arrested several hours later.
Both men have been held without bail in federal custody since their arrests.