ISIS has been actively recruiting Ferguson criminals, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois.
With tweets that say “Hey blacks, ISIS will save you” and references to Malcolm X and slavery, ISIS was reaching out to criminals during the protests and riots after Michael Brown’s death.
U.S. Attorney Steve Wigginton told KSDK that the federal government has received “intelligence reports for law enforcement showing actual tweets ISIS was putting out encouraging Americans to join the people who were burning down buildings in Ferguson to engage that kind of conduct across America.”
FBI special agent Sean Cox told the outlet, “We are very concerned by threats posed by homegrown violent extremists from individuals who live in the same community they intend to attack.”
“These individuals are difficult for us to detect, as they are able to connect with other extremists with relative ease and they are more capable from an operational standpoint because they are familiar with their intended target areas,” he added.
During the first round of riots and protests in Ferguson, an “ISIS is Here” sign was displayed while CNN was interviewing protesters on the streets.