American Arrested For Alleged ISIS Support, 'Kill Non-Believers'
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RICHARDSON (CBSDFW.COM) - A Richardson man was indicted on charges of lying to the FBI about his support for ISIS.
Earlier this month, agents met up with Said Rahim inside terminal D at DFW International Airport. After he went through security and waited to board a flight to Jordan, agents say he agreed to answer questions. Investigators arrested him after he lied about his past statements about ISIS.
Rahim is accused of praising ISIS' violent activities in chat rooms and encouraged people to engage in violent jihad.
Richard Roper is a former United States Attorney in Dallas. "I think this case is a classic example of how the FBI is trying to use any crime on the books to disrupt, in their mind, terrorist organizations."
The FBI agent says Rahim glorified last year's terror attacks at the Orlando night club and at the Bastile Day celebration in Nice, France. In the chat room, Rahim is accused of saying, "France will wake-up to a tragedy, a catastrophe (chuckle).. a great killing, implemented by... one of God's lions.. against those infidel French."
In a later post, Rahim is accused of telling someone it was ok to murder non-Muslims in England. "Kill them and do not show them mercy or compassion. If you have the ability to go and kill, poison them, throw a rock, push down a building... the important thing is that you kill."
In a statement, Rahim's attorney James Whalen says, "In today's political climate, allegations such as those made against Mr. Rahim can cause people to jump to conclusions. However, it is critical to remember that, as a citizen of this country, Mr. Rahim enjoys many constitutional rights, one of which being the presumption of absolute innocence."
However, Roper says Rahim's comments go beyond the realm of free speech. "His comments I would not characterize as mere political statements. He went way beyond that. He is abetting or encouraging members to kill non-believers. There's no question about it."
A judge ruled Rahim must stay in custody until trial because she believes he's dangerous and would flee the country.
If convicted he faces a maximum penalty of nearly 50 years in prison.
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