Armory Shooting Plotter Says Attack Nothing But Bold Talk: Lawyer

Photo: Jonas Edmonds

CHICAGO, IL — An Aurora man who conspired to attack the Joliet armory with his cousin has said that he never planned to go through with the attack and claimed it was just “bold talk.”

According to a sentencing memo filed Jan. 13 in US District Court by Jonas Edmonds’ lawyer James A. Graham, Edmonds “emphatically states that he never would have actually gone through with, or participated in an attack of the National Guard installation.”

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Edmonds, 30, said he knows a recording of him with an undercover FBI agent sounds “terrible” and is one of the main reasons he pleaded guilty, the memo states.

The FBI agent, who was pretending to be a recruiter for ISIS, apparently “challenged” something in Edmonds, who felt he had something to prove.

“This placed Jonas Edmonds on the defensive, and brought on a bravado in statements from Jonas that are heard on the undercover recordings,” Graham wrote in the memo.

Edmonds also blamed marijuana, which he claims he was under the influence of when speaking with the undercover agent, for part of his decision.

Additionally, Edmonds had been “extremely upset” over Muslim civilian casualties perpetrated by the U.S. military. At the same time, he was “affected” by the violence carried out by ISIS.

“Edmonds has been seen by various family members in tears after observing some of the violence he has watched over the internet,” the memo states.

This caused him to be unsure of what his faith required of him.

Furthering his point, Edmonds claims no weapons were arranged for him or procured for an attack, no date was set for when the attack would occur and his “long bushy” beard would have hindered him in his attempt to pass as a National Guard member. He also claims that he didn’t have any experience with firearms, nor was he attempting to train himself.

Edmonds claims he pleaded guilty to avoid other charges that would have landed him more time in prison. His charges include conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and making a false statement to a law enforcement officer regarding an international terrorism offense. A plea agreement for Edmonds would land him 21 years in prison.

He is set for sentencing Jan. 27.

Edmonds and his cousin, Hasan Edmonds, 23, plotted to shoot up the Illinois National Guard Armory in Joliet. The men allegedly traveled to the Joliet Armory March 24, 2015, to scout out an attack they hoped would kill as many as 150 people.

Hasan Edmonds had trained at the armory with the Illinois National Guard. Jonas Edmonds was going to attack the armory while wearing his cousin’s uniform from when he served with the 634th Brigade Support Battalion

Hasan was arrested March 25 at Chicago Midway International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Detroit on the first leg of his journey to Cairo, Egypt. Hasan had planned to hook up with an ISIS connection — an undercover FBI informant — who would take him into Syria where he would join up with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, prosecutors said.

Jonas Edmonds was arrested at his Aurora home later that evening. Prosecutors allege Hasan provided uniforms, a list of ranking officers and other inside information about the Joliet military facility.

The cousins had been under watch by federal agents since Hasan Edmonds traded Facebook messages with an undercover agent he believed was involved with ISIS.