US Army Veteran Charged with Trying to Aid ISIS
Robert Hester spent a very short in the US Army from 2012-2013 before leaving under a “general discharge” following “numerous violations of US Army regulations.”
By 2016, he had converted to Islam, had a new name — and was attempting to plot attacks against the United States he once served.
[Hester] was charged last week with trying to support the Islamic State as part of what he thought was a coordinated attack against civilian targets and military installations, authorities say…
Hester joins a growing list of more than 100 people in the United States arrested in connection with the Islamic State. But he’s one of just a handful with a military connection.
Hester joins more than a dozen civilians or veterans who have planned to or did attack US troops, motivated by their Islamic faith — six of whom have been in the US military, waging war against their fellow troops:
- Army deserter supported Islamic extremism (Daniel Seth Franey, 2016, 10 years on weapons charges)
- Soldier attempted to join ISIS (Hasan Edmonds, arrested 2015)
- Fort Hood attack thwarted, PFC Abdo, two life sentences (2011)
- Shots fired at Pentagon, other military bldgs (Marine Reservist Yonathan Melaku, 2010)
- Fort Hood massacre kills 14 (Army Maj Hasan, 2009)
- Fragging in Kuwait by Army Sgt Hasan Akbar (2003) (death sentence on appeal)
Thirteen civilians or veterans similarly planned to attack or did attack US troops, motivated by their Islamic faith:
- Advocated terrorism (Mohamed Jalloh, 2016)
- Tried to join ISIS (Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, convicted on terrorism charges, 2016)
- Fort Riley attempted car-bombing (John Booker, 2015)
- Chattanooga recruiting center attack (Mohammad Abdulazeez, 2015)
- Execution-style attack thwarted (Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud, 2015)
- Pipe bomb attack thwarted (Jose Pimentel, 2011)
- Remote control airplane Pentagon attack thwarted (Rezwan Ferdaus, 2011)
- Seattle recruiting station attack thwarted (2011)
- Frankfurt airport attack kills 2 US Airmen (Arid Uka, 2011, life sentence)
- Baltimore recruiting center bomb thwarted (Antonio Martinez, 2010, 25-year sentence)
- Quantico attack by Raleigh jihadists thwarted (6 multi-decade prison sentences, 2009)
- Arkansas recruiting station attack by Abdulhakim Muhammad (2009, life without parole)
- Fort Dix attack thwarted (2007) (6 convictions, 4 life sentences)
Michael “Mikey” Weinstein claims Christians in the US military are a threat to national security — so much so that Christians shouldn’t be allowed to serve in the military. Yet every single attempt or plan to kill US troops by these troops or veterans was conducted by a Muslim — including at least one Muslim that Mikey Weinstein interacted with before he was arrested. Kind of makes you wonder if Weinstein is concerned with “national security”… or just Christians.
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