Federal prosecutors: Albuquerque man was recruiting for ISIS, scouting locations to attack

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — An Albuquerque man, 45-year-old Herman Wilson, has been arrested for terrorist activity.

Wilson, also known as Bilal Mu’Min Abdullah, faces two federal charges, one for trying to provide support to a terrorist organization and another for obstructing an investigation.

Federal court documents show he was recruiting and training others to fight. Federal prosecutors wrote that Wilson wanted to “wage jihad on behalf of ISIS in the United States and abroad,” and “act violently on behalf of his ideology.”

Among the details are allegations that Wilson scouted two locations in Albuquerque as possible targets to attack – Kirtland Air Force Base and the Army National Guard facility.

Court documents show he drove around the locations, discussing entering and “nuclear assets.”

Prosecutors said all the evidence comes from a confidential source, who posed as a member of Wilson’s group and discussed training and plans with him – recording and documenting all of it.

U.S. attorneys said Wilson was promoting ISIS online and radicalizing local members. He was allegedly holding in-person meetings in Albuquerque and speaking with ISIS members overseas, working to provide support for them.

Wilson reportedly attempted to establish a mosque in Albuquerque that would teach the ideology of ISIS and provide training for people to travel and fight on behalf of ISIS. Prosecutors said they were training to shoot, use knives, fight hand-to-hand, and attack targets with coordination.

They reportedly talked about “attacking law enforcement” and “killing imams – Muslim spiritual leaders who do not support ISIS.”

Court records do not give any locations for such a facility in Albuquerque.

Prosecutors said two men have admitted that Wilson radicalized them. They were arrested in Texas and each face around two decades in prison.

Wilson is also charged with trying to obstruct that investigation. His conversations with them allegedly included talking about “how to make and use explosive devices.”

A federal grand jury indicted Wilson Tuesday. U.S. attorneys said he’s facing up to a total of 40 years in prison. Wilson is expected to appear in court again on Tuesday.

Federal prosecutors want him held in jail until his trial.

Wilson has a history of gun crimes in New Mexico. His convictions have included kidnapping, and he’s already spent more than a decade in prison. He has Albuquerque addresses listed in those arrests from the ’90s.

U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez shared the following statement:

“We will not tolerate threats to our country from terrorist organizations like ISIS. We will vigorously prosecute anyone who attempts to provide material support to terrorists.”

FBI Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda shared the following statement:

“This investigation was the result of months of painstaking work by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.”