Posted on April 23, 2019

Wisconsin Woman Pleads Guilty to Terrorism Charges

Ivan Moreno, Associated Press, April 23, 2019

{snip}

Waheba Issa Dais (dys) initially pleaded not guilty to two counts of providing material support to terrorists but prosecutors dropped one of the charges in exchange for her guilty plea.

Prosecutors say in court documents that Dais, 46, used hacked social media accounts to discuss possible attacks with self-proclaimed members of the IS. She also tried to recruit IS supporters to carry out attacks and provided them with information on making explosives and poisons, according to the documents.

Authorities never connected her to any attack plots, but U.S. Attorney Matthew Krueger noted the seriousness of her actions, saying Dais put a lot of information online with instructions on how to harm people.

{snip}

In the hacked social media accounts, the FBI said it found conversations where Dais discussed possible attacks with self-proclaimed IS members. In one case, she suggested using the deadly toxin ricin in a government building or a reservoir somewhere in the U.S., according to the FBI’s report. In another instance, she suggested street festivals and summer celebrations as possible targets, the FBI said.

Dais was born in Jerusalem and was married to a U.S. citizen when she arrived in Chicago in 1992, according to the FBI. They divorced in 2003 and Dais remained in the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident. She was living in Cudahy, a city just south of Milwaukee.

Dais faces up to 20 years in prison when she is sentenced Sept. 12, although the plea agreement said her punishment could be more lenient because she accepted responsibility for her actions. However, the judge will ultimately decide the sentence.

{snip}