February 06, 2015
CHICAGO - Six people have been charged with providing money and equipment including U.S. military uniforms to support groups such as al Qaeda, Nusra Front and Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday.
The six are Bosnian natives living in Missouri, Illinois and New York. Five of them were arrested in the United States and charged with conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists. The sixth person is overseas, the department said in a statement.
Members of the group conspired to provide money and equipment - including U.S. military uniforms, combat boots, tactical gear, military surplus goods and firearms accessories - to be used to commit crimes outside the United States, according to the indictment released by Justice.
It said people in Turkey and Saudi Arabia acted as third-party intermediaries who received the money and property from the defendants in the United States and transferred it to militants fighting with groups in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere.
It identified the defendants as Ramiz Zijad Hodzic, 40, his wife, Sedina Unkic Hodzic, 35, and Armin Harcevic, 37, all of St. Louis County, Missouri; Nihad Rosic, 26, of Utica, New York; Mediha Medy Salkicevic, 34 of Schiller Park, Illinois; and Jasminka Ramic, 42, of Rockford, Illinois.
All were charged with conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists, and with providing material support to terrorists. Ramiz Zijad Hodzic and Nihad Rosic also were accused of conspiring to kill and maim persons in a foreign country, the department said.
"Today's charges and arrests underscore our resolve to identify, thwart, and hold accountable individuals within the United States who seek to provide material support to terrorists and terrorist organizations operating in Syria and Iraq," said Assistant Attorney General Carlin.
