BEAUMONT, Texas — An expert on terrorist networks and an inmate who claims he learned how to infiltrate countries to participate in Jihad testified on Wednesday morning in the trial of an inmate accused of recruiting ISIS soldiers in Beaumont.
Mohamed Ibrahim Ahmed faces two counts of attempting to provide material support or resources to designated terrorist organizations; two counts of giving false statements involving international terrorism and solicitation of a violent crime.
Dr. Magnus Ranstorp, Research Director of the Centre for Asymmetric Threat Studies at the Swedish National Defense College, testified Wednesday that the groups Ahmed is associated with are affiliated with high-profile terrorism acts. Dr. Ranstorp gave an in-depth account of terror networks and their inter-connections with ISIS. 12News was also at the courthouse Tuesday for testimony.
The bulk of morning testimony came from a man who served time in the FCI Beaumont Medium security federal prison with Ahmed. He said Ahmed entrusted him with the same “War Manual” described by a different former inmate on Tuesday. He recalled a conversation with Ahmed in which he described killing children and innocent people under the principle of, “an eye for an eye.” He then looked toward the defendant and said, “I’m an American. We don’t kill kids.”
Ahmed, who is acting as his own attorney, asked his former co-inmate if he directly asked him to infiltrate the US through Mexico. The former inmate responded that the book Ahmed gave him had instructions on how to enter the US through Mexico or Canada for terrorist activities, but he thought he was training to attack other countries and the book was only using the US as an example.
The former co-prisoner testified that he felt in danger of his life after approaching officials with information about the violence Ahmed was planning. He said inmates kill anyone they find out has cooperated with officials. He then turned to the defendant and said, “You said you were coming back to Texas to use a liquid bomb." He said Ahmed wanted revenge on America.
Testimony is being held before District Judge Marcia A. Crone.
