The New Mexico compound where Siraj Ibn Wahhaj took his son, Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj, 3. (Screenshot: KRQE)
Four people were convicted and a fifth pleaded guilty in connection to their plot to wage “jihad.” Three of those defendants are also guilty in the death of Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj, 3.
The boy’s father Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, paternal aunts Hujrah Wahhaj and Subhanah Wahhaj, and Subhanah’s husband, Lucas Morton, went to trial, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Friday.
Siraj Ibn Wahhaj and Morton were convicted in a New Mexico federal court of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, providing material support to terrorists, and conspiracy to murder an officer or employee of the United States. The sisters and Morton were also found guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in death, and kidnapping resulting in death. All four were convicted on Tuesday, records show.
The fifth defendant, Jany Leveille, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and being in possession of a firearm while unlawfully in the United States. She is originally from Haiti. Federal prosecutors unsealed her plea agreement on Thursday.
Prosecutors said Siraj Ibn Wahhaj abducted his son from the boy’s mother in Georgia in December 2017.
Leveille and the defendants believed that the child was actually her son and was possessed by demons, according to authorities.
“The group took Abdul Ghani to New Mexico, depriving him of his anti-seizure medication and the loving care of his mother, and subjected him to an exhausting regimen of daily spiritual exorcisms,” prosecutors wrote.
Ghani died after less than two weeks in New Mexico.
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“Under Leveille’s direction, Siraj and the others established a community centered on the belief that Abdul Ghani would return as Jesus Christ to pass judgment on corrupt institutions, including the FBI, the military and other government and financial institutions,” authorities wrote. “To this end, they established a fortified base and a firing range. Armed with 11 firearms, including an AR-15 Bushmaster assault rifle, high-capacity magazines, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, the group conducted weapons and tactical training and required some of the children to do so as well. The group conducted the training with the intent to ‘face the nation’ and kill those who refused to believe as they did. They spoke of waging jihad and becoming martyrs.”
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The Taos County Sheriff’s Office executed warrants at the compound on Aug. 3, 2018, and managed to arrest Sirah Ibn Wahhaj without shots fired even though he armed himself to defend the premises.
Authorities have said that the sheriff’s office found them living in squalid conditions with 11 children, ages one to 15. Investigators said that the adults were teaching the kids how to shoot firearms in a bid to take on the government.
Those on the compound thought that Ghani was possessed by spirits — in truth, his mother said he suffered from hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Authorities said that Abdul-Ghani’s body was washed, wrapped up in sheets, and buried in the belief that he would come back as Jesus. Investigators found Ghani’s remains in an underground tunnel.
“When a mother loses her child, we all lose a child,” said United States Attorney Alexander Uballez of the District of New Mexico. “It is our collective responsibility to protect our children from danger and, when we lose a child, it is our solemn duty in law enforcement to ensure that those who are responsible receive justice. My thanks go out to the many local, state, and federal law enforcement officers who worked tirelessly to deliver that justice, and my heart goes out to the mother of Abdul Ghani.”
Under the terms of her plea agreement, Leveille faces up to 17 years in prison at a sentencing hearing to take place Nov. 27. The other defendants face life in prison.
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