AST August 2018 Magazine Aug 2018 Final (8.14.18) | Page 7

Since there August 2013, 2018 Edition have been 157 homegrown jihadist cases in the United States. Volume 26 On July 2, 2018: Demetrius Na- thaniel Pitts, 48, of Maple Iyman Faris, 49, was sentenced in 2003 for aiding and abetting al-Qaida by scoping out the Heights, Ohio, iconic New York bridge as a part of a plot to cut through the cables that support the struc- was arrested for A court filing argued that Faris lied on his immi- attempting to provide material support gration papers in 1999, however Judge Yanle stated that there was insufficient evidence to prove to Al Qaeda. that his misrepresentations influenced the deci- sion to grant him citizenship. On July 4, 2018: The son of ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi has been killed fighting Syrian forces in Homs Province, Syria. Pitts pledged his allegiance to the terrorist organization, and plotted an attack on Fourth of July festivities in Cleveland. He faces up to 20 years in prison. HOMEGROWN ISLAMIST EXTREMISM Cases of home- grown Islamist extremism in the U.S. continue to be an issue of concern. (FBI Agent Stephen Anthony announced the arrest of Demetrius Nathaniel Pitts, also known as Abdur Raheem Rafeeq. Courtesy of CBS Philly and YouTube. Posted on Jul 2, 2018.) 5