Dec. 09--An Aurora man who had aligned himself with the Islamic State -- allegedly with a cousin -- pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Chicago to charges he plotted to carry out an attack earlier this year on the Joliet Armory.
Jonas Edmonds pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support and resources to Islamic State and willfully making false statements to the FBI about the purpose of his cousin's planned trip overseas in March.
The cousin, Hasan Edmonds, is scheduled to plead guilty Monday to similar charges, court records show.
Prosecutors have alleged that on March 24 the two traveled to the Joliet Armory, where Hasan Edmonds, 23, had trained with the Illinois National Guard, to scout the facility for an attack with AK-47 assault rifles and grenades.
Jonas Edmonds, 30, was going to carry out the attack while wearing his cousin's uniform from his service with the Joliet-based 634th Brigade Support Battalion, according to a criminal complaint filed in March. They hoped the attack would kill as many as 150, charges alleged.
On Wednesday, a prosecutor alleged that the cousins had listed the higher-ranking officers that could be targeted in the attack. They also obtained the training schedule so they could time the attack when the armory would be busy, he said.
In court Wednesday, Jonas Edmonds, his hair cut close but his beard long and curly, rocked slightly from side to side with his arms behind his back as he answered questions from U.S. District Judge John Lee about his competency and his understanding of the charges.
Before his arrest, Edmonds told the judge, he worked as a Web designer and did online marketing for his own independent business. He said he had dropped out of high school but obtained a GED.
As part of a plea deal with Jonas Edmonds, prosecutors agreed to recommend he be sentenced to 21 years in prison, two years below the maximum he faced, said his attorney, James Graham. Sentencing was scheduled for Jan. 27.
"He and his family are happy to put this behind him," Graham said after the court hearing at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse. "He's not cooperating with authorities.
"This was something that was worked out. ... He just felt (this route) was the best thing in his interest."
Graham said Edmonds is married and has a biological child along with several adopted children. His family continues to support him, but no relatives attended Wednesday's court hearing.
The two cousins have been held without bond since their arrest.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas told the judge Wednesday that Hasan Edmonds communicated online in January with a person he thought was affiliated with Islamic State. In the messages, Edmonds expressed his support of Islamic State and his desire to travel abroad to give advice on how to attack a U.S. destination, the prosecutor said.
The next month, Jonas Edmonds contacted the agent online and said he planned to travel to an area of Iraq controlled by the militant group. If he was unable to travel overseas, Edmonds told the undercover agent, he planned to carry out an attack in the U.S., the prosecutor said..
By March, the two cousins had met with a federal agent posing as an Islamic State representative, and Hasan Edmonds bought a ticket to Egypt with the intention of traveling overseas to fight for the terrorist group, according to the prosecutor.
During another meeting with the purported Islamic State representative March 23, Jonas Edmonds expressed his excitement for his cousin's trip and their upcoming plans. Jonas Edmonds told the agent that after his cousin left the country, he planned to attack the National Guard Armory where his cousin was assigned. He anticipated a body count of 100 to 150 people, the prosecutor said.
The next day, Jonas Edmonds drove with his cousin and the undercover agent to the Joliet Armory to scout out the location and plan the attack. They discussed where to buy the weapons and how to attack the facility in a way that would kill and injure the most people, the prosecutor said.
On March 25, Jonas Edmonds drove his cousin to Midway Airport so he could travel to Cairo. Then he went to his cousin's house to pick up his cousin's uniforms to wear as a disguise during the attack, the prosecutor said.
Hasan Edmonds was taken into custody as he prepared to board a flight, while his cousin was arrested two hours later at his two-flat in Aurora.
In pleading guilty Wednesday, Jonas Edmonds admitted he lied to FBI agents when he claimed his cousin was "going to visit a friend."
lbowean@tribpub.com
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