Justice Dept: Chicago men caught planning ISIL attack on US military post

An Army National Guard soldier and his cousin have been arrested on charges of conspiring to support the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and plotting an attack in the United States, the Department of Justice announced Thursday. The two were allegedly caught in an FBI undercover operation.

The Chicago-area men, both U.S. citizens, spoke of using Army uniforms — along with military knowledge and access — to attack an Illinois military installation, according to a statement issued by the DOJ.

Army National Guard Spc. Hasan Edmonds, 22, was arrested at Chicago Midway International Airport while attempting to fly to Egypt, the DOJ said. His cousin Jonas Edmonds, 29, was arrested at his home in Aurora, Illinois.

Both defendants met with an undercover FBI employee and presented a plan to carry out an armed attack on the Illinois military facility — where Hasan Edmonds had been training — according to the DOJ. 

"Disturbingly, one of the defendants currently wears the same uniform of those they allegedly planned to attack," Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin said in a news release.

Both men were charged with one count of conspiring to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, the DOJ said. 

If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Both men were scheduled to make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Chicago later Thursday.

This is not the first time U.S. citizens or service members have been accused of trying to aid ISIL. Earlier this month, a U.S. Air Force veteran from Neptune, New Jersey was charged with trying to provide support to the armed group that has taken over large swaths of Iraq and Syria, and declared a self-styled “caliphate” on territories under its control.

In February, three men in New York City’s borough of Brooklyn were charged with plotting to travel to Syria to join ISIL and wage war against the U.S.

Al Jazeera and wire services