BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — A federal jury has found a Bowling Green man guilty on multiple terrorism charges for joining and helping the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
ISIS has been designated as a “foreign terrorist organization” by the Secretary of State since 2004.
Mirsad Hariz Adem Ramic, 34, was found guilty of providing material support to ISIS, conspiring to provide material support to ISIS, and receiving military-type training from ISIS.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Kentucky, public findings and evidence presented at trial on June 3, 2014, found Ramic and two other co-conspirators traveled from the U.S. to Istanbul, Turkey.
The three individuals arrived separately and abandoned their purchased travel itineraries in order to purchase flights to Gaziantep, Turkey, which is located near the Turkey-Syria border.
There, authorities said Ramic and the others traveled into Syria and joined ISIS. Evidence at the trial revealed he had also attended an ISIS training camp while there.
Photos shared to social media depicted Ramic wearing camouflage and standing in front of a truck outfitted with an anti-aircraft gun and the ISIS flag, officials said.
“After joining ISIS, Ramic and his co-conspirators remained in contact with each other and discussed among other things, his use of an anti-aircraft weapon to shoot at planes,” authorities said. “[They also] discussed jihad, martyrdom, and fighting for ISIS.”
Ramic, a dual U.S.-Bosnian citizen, joined an ISIS fighting unit mostly comprised of Bosnian foreign fighters. Authorities said he participated in the terrorist organization’s offensive in Kobane, Syria.
Prosecutors said Ramic has been held in federal custody since December 2021, after he was deported back to the U.S. from Turkey. He will be sentenced on September 24.
He faces a maximum prison time of 50 years in prison, a fine of $750,000, and a term of supervised release up to life.
Officials said the FBI helped investigate the case.
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