Ramiz Zijad Hodzic, 44, of St. Louis County, Missouri, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and one count of providing material support to terrorists. Hodzic appeared today before Judge Catherine D. Perry who accepted his plea and set his sentencing for June 18, 2019. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey B. Jensen for the Eastern District of Missouri and Special Agent in Charge Richard Quinn of the FBI’s St. Louis Division made the announcement.
Charged in the indictment are: Ramiz Zijad Hodzic, his wife Sedina Unkic Hodzic, and Armin Harcevic, all of St. Louis County, Missouri, Nihad Rosic, of Utica, New York, and Mediha Medy Salkicevic, of Schiller Park, Illinois. All defendants are charged with conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists, and with providing material support to terrorists. Ramiz Zijad Hodzic and Nihad Rosic are also charged with conspiring to murder and maim persons in a foreign country. Armin Harcevic, pleaded guilty on Feb. 25, 2019, and Mediha Medy Salkicevic pleaded guilty on March 21, 2019. The remaining defendants have pleaded not guilty. As is always the case, charges set forth in the indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the St. Louis FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Postal Inspection Service, St. Louis Metropolitan and St. Louis County Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Drake, Howard Marcus and Kenneth Tihen of the Eastern District of Missouri and Trial Attorney Joshua Champagne of the Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section.
More via St. Louis County man admits supporting terrorists, including man who fought for ISIS
Hodzic sought and received money from others, including his co-defendants, to support foreign fighters battling in Syria. One of those fighters, Abdullah Ramo Pazara, is a former St. Louis County resident who became a U.S. citizen before leaving for Syria. While there, he bragged in Facebook messages to Hodzic and other supporters about killing prisoners, attending beheadings and buying a 16-year-old Yazidi slave, prosecutors have said. Hodzic supplied Pazara with military uniforms and a rifle scope, they said.
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Ramiz Zijad Hodzic and Rosic face the additional charge of conspiring to kill and main persons in a foreign country.
Hodzic allegedly provided tactical advice to Pazara and other foreign fighters, the indictment said, and sent rifle scopes and range finders to Pazara, intending that they be used on sniper rifles.
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