North Texas man indicted for supporting terrorist organization
DALLAS — A federal grand jury in Fort Worth returned a superseding indictment this week, charging a North Texas man with seven counts related to a terrorism investigation,
This indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox, for the Northern District of Texas and Special Agent in Charge Eric Jackson of the FBI Dallas Field Office.
The FBI is responsible for this investigation, specifically its Joint Terrorism Task Force which includes Richardson Police Department, Dallas Police Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and the Federal Air Marshal Service.
The indictment supersedes an earlier indictment returned in this case. Said Azzam Mohamad Rahim, 41, of Richardson, Texas, is charged with six counts of making false statements to a federal agency and one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, namely the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
Rahim was arrested in March 2017 on a related criminal complaint and will remain in custody pending trial. The maximum statutory penalty for each false statement count is eight years in federal prison, a period of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Rahim faces not more than 20 years in federal prison and a possible fine for attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
“Our highest priority is to pursue justice against those who seek to harm our country and our citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox. “I appreciate the outstanding work by the Dallas FBI and the support of the Department’s National Security Division.”
The indictment alleges that Rahim made a number of false statements to federal law enforcement on March 5, 2017, related to his support for ISIS. The indictment also alleges, beginning in October 2014 and continuing through March 2017, Rahim attempted to provide material support or resources, including services and personnel, to ISIS.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Errin Martin is prosecuting the case with assistance from Taryn Meeks with the Department of Justice’s National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
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