Irvine man, an ex-Marine Corp Reservist, charged with trying to aid foreign terrorist groups

A federal grand jury has indicted an Irvine man who served in the Marine Corps Reserve on charges of trying to help two foreign terrorist organizations, including providing information on how to make chemical weapons and bombs.

Jason Fong, 24, is accused of attempting to aid Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham between March and May of 2020. The aid included compiling and providing tactical, combat, and weapons training materials and information on making chemical weapons, booby traps and improvised explosive devices, the indictment states.

He is also accused of attempting to provide support on May 18, 2020, to Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades in the form of fundraising and money.

Prosecutors said that Fong knew at the time of each attempt that the groups had been designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government.

Fong was arrested on a weapons charge during a raid in May 2020. Prosecutors said they found an assault rifle, other guns, high-capacity magazines, ammunition, a gas mask and body armor during their search of his place.

He was serving in the Marine Corps Reserve when he was arrested, according to the indictment.

Prosecutors said in court records that Fong sent Hamas members and undercover government agents fundraising information using encrypted applications and “advocated committing violence against” the U.S. government, law enforcement, members of the LGBTQ community and one of his high school teachers.

“This case is just another manufactured plot by the NYPD and FBI,” Karren Kenney, Fong’s attorney, said Thursday. “The only real terrorists, in this case, were the government agents and others posing as agents.”

Fong was initially charged with a terrorism offense in a criminal information in October 2020, but on Wednesday the grand jury handed up a four-count indictment.

If convicted, Fong would face up to 20 years on each count.

He is scheduled to be arraigned on May 23.

Source: Orange County Register