On October 17, 2023, a federal jury returned guilty verdicts against the son of a controversial Brooklyn imam, Siraj Wahhaj, who was on a list of people who “may be alleged as co-conspirators” to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Younger Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, his sisters Hujrah Wahhaj and Subhanah Wahhaj, and Subhanah’s husband, Lucas Morton, were convicted on the 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.
Additionally, they were convicted of conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in death, and kidnapping resulting in death. A fifth defendant, Jany Leveille, pled guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and being in possession of a firearm while unlawfully in the United States.
The case originated from the disappearance of a three-year-old boy, Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj, who was abducted by his father, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, from Georgia. The family took the child to a remote compound in New Mexico, where they subjected him to daily spiritual exorcisms. Tragically, Abdul-Ghani died less than two weeks after arriving in New Mexico. The group believed that Abdul-Ghani would return as Jesus Christ to pass judgment on corrupt institutions, including the FBI, the military, and other government and financial institutions.