An aunt of two suburban Chicago men accused of plotting terrorist attacks on an Illinois military facility says the allegations have devastated their extended family of Muslims and Christians.
Tiffany Edmonds spoke to reporters after a brief detention hearing Monday in Chicago for Hasan Edmonds. A federal judge granted a defense request for more time to examine evidence before any final ruling on bond.
"The whole family is taking this hard. It's breaking up our whole family," she said. "We're not people like this and they're not people like that."
Illinois Army National Guard Soldier Hasan Edmonds, 22, and Jonas Edmonds, 29, both from the suburban Chicago community of Aurora, are accused of plotting to provide material support and resources to the terror organization, U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon announced last week. They also allegedly planned to use Army uniforms and military knowledge to attack a U.S. military facility in northern Illinois.
Tiffany Edmonds says her nephews became Muslims several years ago. Others in the large Edmonds family also converted, while others remained Christian.
"It's heartbreaking," she said. "We're Americans."
She describes the family as patriotic and says two of Hasan Edmonds' sisters also joined the National Guard.
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She adds about her nephews: "They're not monsters."
