A father has been convicted of terrorism after the remains of his 3-year-old son were found in an underground tunnel at a makeshift compound in New Mexico in 2018.
Siraj Ibn Wahhaj and members of his family had fled from Georgia with the toddler to the remote desert so they could engage in firearms and tactical training to prepare for attacks against the government, prosecutors told jurors Tuesday.
Jurors deliberated for 2½ days after hearing weeks of testimony from children who had lived with their parents at the compound.
The defendants, who are Muslim, argued federal authorities targeted them because of their religion.
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This photo shows defendants, from left, Jany Leveille, Lucas Morton, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj and Subbannah Wahhaj entering district court Aug. 13, 2018, in Taos, N.M. (Roberto E. Rosales/The Albuquerque Journal via AP, Pool, File)
Wahhaj’s brother-in-law also was convicted of terrorism charges, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and kidnapping that resulted in the boy’s death. Wahhaj’s sisters were convicted on the kidnapping charges.
The five suspects were arrested by authorities after an Aug. 3, 2018, raid following a months-long inquiry into the disappearance of Abdul-ghani Wahhaj, 3. The boy, who had severe medical issues, disappeared from Georgia in December.
An aerial view of a makeshift compound in the desert area of Amalia, N.M. Aug. 10, 2018. (AP Photo/Brian Skoloff, File)
The badly decomposed remains of the boy were eventually found in an underground tunnel at the compound on the outskirts of Amalia near the Colorado state line. An exact cause of death was never determined.
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Wahhaj represented himself in court.
Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, left, sits next to public defense attorney Aleks Kostich at a first appearance in New Mexico state district court in Taos, N.M., Aug. 8, 2018, on accusations of child abuse and abducting his son from the boy’s mother. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee)
“The government portrayed me to look like a monster,” he said, describing his family as close-knit and trying to protect his son from evil spirits. He said they used a ritual known as ruqyah in which passages from the Quran are recited.
Wahhaj and the family apparently believed the boy would be resurrected as Jesus Christ and provide instructions.
A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.