A Syrian American arrested from San Diego on terrorism charge after he posts images of AK-47  on his Facebook timeline
Mohamad Saeed Kodaimati, a 24-year-old man from San Diego was arrested and charged on Thursday for making false statements to the FBI about his involvement with Syrian militants, which has been written on his Facebook page.
He is charged on two counts of making false statements involving international terrorism matters in US District Court of the Southern District of California.
Saeed, who was born in Syria and became a naturalized American citizen in 2008 at the age of 17, is charged for lying during its interviews with the FBI and other US authorities at the US Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, in March, the Justice Department said.
The criminal complaint said Saeed falsely claimed he had not been involved in any fighting, had never fired his weapon at anyone and did not know any Islamic State members.
Saeed lied to agents that he was not involved in any fighting, had never fired his weapon at anyone and did not know any Islamic State members; however, images and conversations on Facebook contradict information he gave to federal officials, according to court documents.
He also claimed to have to told that he has never mentioned to anyone that he was involved with the Nusra Front and has never worked or volunteered at a Sharia court. Nusra Front is al Qaeda’s Syrian arm.
However, Saeed has allegedly told his associates that he fought with Al-Nusrah in a four-month battle against the Assad regime. Al-Nusrah is associated with al-Qaida and was appointed last year to be a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department.
‘Evidence gathered during the investigation contradicts these and other statements Saeed made to the interviewing agents,’ a Justice Department statement said.
Saeed, who first came to the US with his family at age 10, has posted incriminating photos on Facebook and posts pointing out his alleged involvement with Syrian militants.
One photo of Saeed posted on his Facebook page shows him with a man who federal officials say has sworn allegiance to ISIS. Another photo of him and his brother show them in the spring of 2014 when he later admitted he had opened fire on a Syrian prison. Others images released by the Justice Department this week show a heavily bearded Saeed flaunting powerful assault rifles with a faint smile on his lips.
According to reports by Los Angeles Times, Saeed in his online chats and posts, allegedly boasted about working for a sharia court, openly conveyed his support for ISIS and was involved in a gun battle that lasted four months.
‘I am currently the media person for the Shari’ah Authority,’ Saeed is alleged to have bragged to a friend online.
According to a Facebook conversation in December 2013, he allegedly wrote, ‘I work with the brothers,’ according to documents quoted by NBC San Diego.
In early March 2015, when Saeed tried to fly back to the U.S., he was denied entry and told to go to the U.S. Embassy in Turkey. Prosecutors claim that Saeed provided false information to federal officials when interviewed at the embassy and later on March 23 at the airport in Charlotte.
He was arrested in Rancho Bernardo, located in the northern part of San Diego on Wednesday.
Saeed made his first court appearance on Thursday and was ordered held without bail after prosecutors argued that the 24-year-old terror suspect was a flight risk and posed a threat to the community, as reported by San Diego 6.
He has return to court next Tuesday for a detention hearing.
