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Feds: Islamic State suspect’s siblings joined him

By WTOP Staff

MICHAEL TARM
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — A younger brother and sister left their suburban Chicago home and were detained at O’Hare International Airport along with their 19-year-old brother last month — all of them intent on traveling to Syria to join Islamic State militants, a prosecutor alleged on Monday while pushing for the older brother to remain behind bars.

The jailed Mohammed Hamzah Khan was the only one charged, but prosecutor Richard Hiller said Khan’s 16-year-old brother and 17-year-old sister were also passionate about the Islamic State. Hiller said the girl once used the Twitter handle @DeathIsTheeNear to send a favorable tweet about a video of beheadings — even placing a smiley emoticon in the text.

Authorities announced Khan’s Oct. 4 arrest at O’Hare several days after it happened. On Monday, they revealed for the first time that his siblings were detained with him that same day, all three with airplane tickets to Istanbul, Turkey, which borders Syria.

At the end of the 2½-hour detention hearing in federal court in Chicago, U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Cox ruled the government amply showed that Khan poses a potential threat and a flight risk and therefore shouldn’t be released.

“He was prepared to abandon his home, his family, his country and his citizenship to join (the Islamic State),” Cox said.

Defense attorney Thomas Durkin had called on Cox to grant Khan supervised release so he could get counseling.

“There is time to modify this behavior … which is, I think, needed here,” he said. “We can’t give up on these kids.”

Khan is charged with seeking to provide material support to a foreign terrorist group, which carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence. Prosecutors gave no indication they are even contemplating charges against his siblings, who they never referred to by name.

Hiller described Khan as the instigator of the plan to join the Islamic State. He said Khan’s meticulous planning included landing a job at a Chicago-area store to earn money for the three plane tickets.

“He tried to take his high school-aged siblings halfway around the world to a war zone,” Hiller said.

The prosecutor said all three spoke of acts of violence, with the sister writing about “preparing for death.”

“He and his siblings not only had barbaric rhetoric … they tried to carry it out,” he said.

Prosecutors have previously said Khan left his parents a handwritten letter in his bedroom that expressed anger over his U.S. taxes being used to kill his “Muslim brothers and sisters.”

His siblings left similar letters, Hiller told the court Monday. He said the girl sounded determined but also saddened she was leaving the family’s home in the Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook, writing, “My heart is crying for the thought I left you.”

At Monday’s hearing, Durkin called the case against his client “hopelessly weak.” He said Khan and his siblings appeared to have fallen under the influence of “slick” Islamic State propaganda.

Durkin has previously said the parents did not know of their son’s plans to travel to Syria.

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Follow Michael Tarm on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mtarm.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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