Aurora cousins indicted on charges of aiding terrorists
A federal grand jury has indicted two Aurora cousins on charges of conspiring with a terrorist organization.
Prosecutors said the men, one of whom was serving in the Illinois Army National Guard at the time of his arrest, attempted to provide support and join Islamic State militants and also planned to attack a Joliet military base.
Hasan Edmonds, 22, and Jonas Edmonds, 29, were arrested late last month after an investigation involving undercover federal agents who posed as jihadists.
Hasan Edmonds is a specialist in the National Guard. Prosecutors said he planned to fly to Egypt to join Islamic State militants and had gone to Midway Airport in Chicago but was taken into custody before he could board the flight. Prosecutors accuse the men of also hatching a plot to have Jonas Edmonds take Hasan Edmonds' uniform and infiltrate and attack a military installation in Joliet.
The men face a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted of plotting to support a terrorist organization. The men are due in court Wednesday for arraignment.