A father and family members are convicted in terrorism and kidnapping case that resulted in death of 3-year-old boy on New Mexico compound

Originally Published: 20 OCT 23 23:44 ET Updated: 20 OCT 23 23:46 ET By Taylor Romine, CNN

(CNN) — A father and several of his family members were convicted of charges in a terrorism and kidnapping case in which his 3-year-old son was found dead on a New Mexico compound, prosecutors said Friday.

A federal jury convicted four members of the family Tuesday after their 2018 arrest following a raid at the rural New Mexico compound, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico said in a news release Friday.

Officers were searching the compound for 3-year-old Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj, who had been abducted by his father, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, from his wife in Georgia, authorities said. The boy’s decomposed remains were found at the compound, authorities said.

During the raid, authorities also found 11 emaciated children wearing rags and no shoes. The group had apparently been living off the grid for months in the trash-ridden lot.

Jurors convicted Siraj Ibn Wahhaj and his brother-in-law Lucas Morton on charges including conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, providing material support to terrorists and conspiracy to murder an officer or employee of the United States, jury verdict sheets show. Morton was also found guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in death and kidnapping resulting in death, according to the jury sheets.

Hujrah Wahhaj and Subhanah Wahhaj – sisters of Siraj Ibn Wahhaj– were found guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in death and kidnapping resulting in death, but were found not guilty of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and providing material support to terrorists, jury verdict sheets show.

A fifth suspect in the case, Jany Leveille, agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and being in possession of a firearm while unlawfully in the US, the plea agreement states.

The defendants took the 3-year-old after Leveille and the other defendants “had formed the belief that Abdul Ghani was her son and was possessed by demons,” prosecutors said in the news release.

The group took him to New Mexico, where they withheld his anti-seizure medication, and conducted “an exhausting regimen of daily spiritual exorcisms,” prosecutors said. The boy ultimately died after less than two weeks in New Mexico, they said.

Law enforcement found the boy’s remains during a search of the compound in “an underground tunnel,” according to the release, but prosecutors do not specify his cause of death.

The defendants “established a community centered on the belief that Abdul Ghani would return as Jesus Christ to pass judgment on corrupt institutions,” including law enforcement, the release says. They built “a fortified base” and an extensive collection of weapons where members practiced tactical training, they said. The group believed the FBI was watching them and was training to kill those who refused to share their beliefs, the release and the plea agreement state. Prosecutors also said the defendants “spoke of waging jihad and becoming martyrs,” according to the release.

Attorneys for Leveille said “it was a difficult decision” for her to enter into the plea agreement, but that it ultimately ends litigation in her case.

“She will be preparing for the sentencing hearing and looks forward to reuniting with her family,” the attorneys said in a statement to CNN.

Ryan J. Villa, an attorney for Subhanah Wahhaj, said her team was glad she was acquitted of the terrorism charges but disappointed with her conviction of the kidnapping charges. They plan to appeal and believe there are strong arguments for her case, he said.

CNN has reached out to attorneys for the other defendants but did not immediately hear back Friday.

“The nefarious activities and subsequent conviction of these four depraved criminals underscore the continued interest of some US-based violent extremists in self-initiated attack plotting, independent of any guidance or support from a foreign terrorist organization,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda said in a statement.

The four convicted defendants each face up to life in prison, while Leveille faces up to 17 years in prison, prosecutors said.

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