ISIS Fighter Kuzu Admits Terror Support

DALLAS, TX – Omer Kuzu, 25, formerly of Texas, pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiring to provide material support to terrorism, admitting his five-year involvement with the Islamic State (ISIS). The confession comes after Kuzu was repatriated to the U.S. by the FBI, following his capture by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

According to court documents, Kuzu, along with his brother Yusuf, left Texas for Turkey in October 2014, ultimately being smuggled into Syria by ISIS operatives. The pair received weapons training in Mosul, Iraq, alongside roughly 40 other foreign fighters before Kuzu took a position within ISIS’s telecommunications directorate in Raqqah, Syria. He pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and received a stipend, an AK-47, and was provided with a wife.

“This defendant, an American citizen radicalized on American soil, pledged allegiance to a brutal terrorist group and traveled halfway across the world to enact its agenda,” stated U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Erin Nealy Cox. “The United States must do everything we can to prevent and deter this type of radicalization and prioritize prosecution of those that support the terroristic agenda of ISIS. I am gratified Mr. Kuzu faced justice in an American court.”

Kuzu’s role extended beyond communications; he provided support to ISIS fighters on the front lines in Kobani and Hama, Syria, and worked within the Caliphate’s technology center. He was captured by the SDF in March 2019, along with 1,500 other suspected ISIS fighters. He was then turned over to the FBI and brought back to the United States to face charges. Kuzu admitted in court that he knew ISIS was a designated foreign terrorist organization (FTO).

“Preventing terrorism remains the FBI’s top mission priority,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno. “The defendant intentionally left the United States to join, train with, and fight on behalf of ISIS. The North Texas Joint Terrorism Task Force worked closely with our domestic and foreign partners to ensure the threat he posed was mitigated.” The Department of Justice has also signaled its commitment to pursuing accountability for American citizens who join ISIS, urging other nations to do the same.

Omer Kuzu now faces up to 20 years in federal prison. Sentencing is scheduled for January 22, 2021. The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Dallas Field Office and the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Errin Martin and Tiffany Eggers, along with Trial Attorney Michael Dittoe of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.