He produced propaganda for ISIS, feds say. Now Oregon man faces terrorism charges

A man living in Portland, Oregon was indicted on several counts related to providing support to ISIS, a foreign terrorist organization.

The Department of Justice announced that Hawazen Sameer Mothafar, 31, is charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization and providing/attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to a news release from the agency. He is also charged with making a false statement to a government agency.

Because Mothafar “has physical disabilities and is confined to a wheelchair, the government did not seek detention,” according to the release. Instead, he was released with “limitations on travel and the use of electronic devices.”

Starting inFebruary 2015, he conspired to provide a range of materials support to ISIS, including producing and distributing propaganda and “recruiting materials that he created,” the news release said. Some of the publications included “Effective Stabbing Techniques,” a tutorial on using explosive ignition devices titled “How Does a Detonator Work,” and “propaganda that encouraged readers to carry out attacks in their home countries if they could not travel overseas to fight,” according to the release.

ISIS, or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, is a “Sunni jihadist group with a particularly violent ideology that calls itself a caliphate and claims religious authority over all Muslims. It was inspired by al Qaida but later publicly expelled from it,” according to the RAND Corporation.

Mothafar also falsified immigration documents and denied any ties to terrorist organizations, the release said.

This story was originally published November 6, 2020 at 1:44 PM with the headline "He produced propaganda for ISIS, feds say. Now Oregon man faces terrorism charges."