DETROIT – An Ypsilanti man faces federal charges, after an FBI counter-terrorism investigation uncovered his connection to a cache of weapons.
Yousef Mohammad Ramadan was arraigned in federal court Saturday in a closed hearing, and was placed in Wayne County Jail until a formal detention hearing is held.
The FBI's report says they originally approached the 28 year-old Ypsilanti resident August 15th, when he and his family tried to fly to Amman, Jordan aboard a Royal Jordanian Airlines flight. The specific airport from which he planned to depart was not identified.
According to the criminal complaint, Ramadan was interviewed by U.S. Customs Agents, and said he was moving his family to Bethlehem. Ramadan also mentioned during the interview that he owned 2 rifles and a Glock handgun, which were placed in a storage unit before heading to the airport.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Tukel says Ramadan later changed his story, and told investigators he actually hid the firearms with a friend, and said the self-storage unit didn't exist.
The lead investigator, Ryan Schanberger, says in his report that the weapons were found to be illegally obtained, and the serial numbers had been removed. Upon further investigation, Schanberger and his team discovered Ramadan had lied when he said the storage unit did not exist.
On August 23rd, the FBI searched the unit, discovering multiple unregistered handguns and rifles, including the components of an AR-15 rifle.
Yousef Mohammad Ramadan is charged with knowingly possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number, which carries a penalty of up to 5 years in prison. Ramadan has not been charged with any crime specifically relating to terrorism.
He will appear back in court for his detention hearing Tuesday at 1pm.