The FBI investigation of an Islamic State supporter in Ohio—which was revealed last week upon his arrest–contrasts sharply with the bureau’s reluctance to broadly probe a white supremacist’s politically-motivated mass murder that occurred two days before in South Carolina.
Amir Said Rahman Abdul Al-Ghazi, 38, an African-American convert to Islam, was, at the bureau’s urging, charged under federal anti-terrorism statutes for inciting violence. Unlike Dylann Storm Roof–who, the FBI head last weekend declined to describe as having possibly committed an act of terrorism–Al-Ghazi never actually attacked anyone.
The 21-year old Roof went to a black church in Charleston, S.C. on Wednesday where he killed state Senator Clementa Pinckney and 8 others.
Journalists on Saturday discovered a manifesto he wrote confirming that he “chose Charleston” for the site of his massacre because it has “no skinheads, no real KKK, no one doing anything but talking on the internet.” Reports on Friday also cited an eyewitness who said Roof “uttered a racially inflammatory statement” after committing murders, prior to fleeing the scene.
On Saturday, however–despite the fact that Roof already at least appeared to adhere to racist ideology and had slain a state lawmaker at the first black church in the south; one that has played host to prominent African-American resistance to white supremacy–FBI director James Comey said that the bureau had ruled out charging the white supremacist with violating federal anti-terrorism statutes.
“Terrorism is act of violence done or threatens to in order to try to influence a public body or citizenry so it’s more of a political act and again based on what I know so more I don’t see it as a political act,” Comey said.
The Justice Department and the White House have distanced itself from the remarks, with the latter noting Monday that the former said on Friday that it “is looking at this crime from all angles, including as a hate crime and as an act of domestic terrorism.”
“Talking on the internet”, however, helped land Al-Ghazi in US custody as an alleged propagator of terrorism. And the testimony of an FBI official who oversaw surveillance of the Ohio man, Special Agent Ryan Presley, paints a picture of the bureau being influential in bringing those charges.
Presley’s affidavit also effectively describes Al-Ghazi as being more a noxious troll openly sympathetic with ISIL’s wanton acts of violence than a committed militant like Roof. Al-Ghazi was mostly concerned with being a “cyber jihadi,” and helping “ISIL with its social media campaign,” according to the section of Presley’s affidavit entitled “Statements/Actions Indicating an Intention to Make Islamic [sic] Propaganda and Recruiting Videos on Behalf of ISIL.” A number of Al-Ghazi’s tweets are cited by Presley as evidence of his wrongdoing, including one that reads “Islamic state in america [sic].”
At one point, in a nod to Al-Ghazi’s intense interest in violent Islamist propaganda, Presley noted that Al-Ghazi asked one of three confidential informants working for the FBI to tell ISIL’s press secretary that “abu ghazi loves him lol.”
Al-Ghazi also exhibited signs of being delusional. Just two weeks ago, he was convinced that, through the production of online videos, he could incite violence that, in the words of an informant, would bring down the US government “in a matter of days.”
“Yes the infrastructure us [sic] weak…is [sic]…Ghanima is everywhere,” said Al-Ghazi, using an Arabic word translated by Presley as “war booty.”
But while Al-Ghazi often talked about hurting people, he was never accused of it by Presley or any other federal official. He told the second paid informant listed in the affidavit that he wanted to purchase an AK-47, but commented that he would only use it if law enforcement officials attempted to apprehend him. Al-Ghazi, Presley noted, mostly wanted to purchase the gun “for the purpose of making propaganda videos in his residence.”
There was never any danger of Al-Ghazi using an assault rifle, even as a prop, however. He was arrested on Friday after purchasing one from an undercover FBI employee for $400—a transaction that was heavily encouraged by the second confidential informant after Al-Ghazi tried and failed to buy an AK-47 in February.
“According to Al-Ghazi, the individual attempted to present him with transfer paperwork and inquired about his felony criminal history,” Presley testified. “Al-Ghazi disclosed that he has multiple felony convictions, after which the individual refused to complete the sale.” Upon Presleys “previous instruction,” the second informant then helped Al-Ghazi buy an AK-47 from an undercover FBI employee for $400.
Al-Ghazi had previously been convicted of violating drug and firearm laws between 2006 and 2010. For allegedly obtaining the AK-47 on Friday, he was charged by the Justice Department with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.
The second informant listed in the affidavit also has a criminal record, according to Presley. The Special Agent noted that he has “an extensive criminal history to include receiving stolen property, domestic violence, assault/kidnapping, burgralry, drug trafficking, weapons under a disability, and fraud related offenses.” Presley noted that he has been a paid informant for the FBI for three years.
