Chicago Man Who Trained at Gym to ‘Cut the Neck’ of Non-Muslims Tells Judge He’s ‘Just a Big Teddy Bear’
By Robert Spencer
Edward Schimenti of the Chicago suburb of Zion, Illinois, wants you to know that he’s “just a big teddy bear”: he said so during his sentencing hearing on Friday, when he got thirteen and a half years for aiding the Islamic State (ISIS) and joined the long and ever-lengthening list of converts to Islam who turn to terrorism, even in the United States, and are largely ignored by the establishment media, which as everyone knows or should know by now, is interested only in shoring up its narrative, not in reporting actual facts.
According to the Justice Department, “evidence at trial revealed that Schimenti advocated on social media for violent extremism in support of the terrorist group. In 2015, Schimenti began meeting with undercover FBI employees and individuals who, unbeknownst to Schimenti, were cooperating with law enforcement. During the meetings, Schimenti discussed his devotion to ISIS and his commitment to ISIS principles.”
When it came to ISIS, Schimenti was a true believer, writing: “Islamic State will control your country, matter of fact, Islam will dominate the world!!” AP noted that Schimenti’s Google Plus profile showed “a masked man holding a knife and standing alongside an IS flag. A caption reads in capital letters that if you can’t travel abroad to fight, ‘then slaughter the pagans next to you.’”
Schimenti didn’t just talk. The Justice Department explained that two FBI informants met with Schimenti, posing as ISIS operatives. After initially being suspicious enough to leave a meeting abruptly, Schimenti fell for the ruse: “In 2017, Schimenti furnished cellular phones to one of the cooperating individuals, believing the phones would be used to detonate explosive devices in ISIS attacks overseas. On April 7, 2017, Schimenti drove with the cooperating individual to O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, with the understanding that the cooperating individual would be traveling to Syria to fight with ISIS.” As he saw the man he thought was his comrade, Schimenti told him to “drench that land with they, they blood.” On another occasion, he declared: “I want to see blood flowing, either way.”