Los Angeles (AFP) – Four adults who ran a heavily fortified compound and were awaiting the resurrection of a kidnapped toddler they thought could help them rid the world of the CIA, the FBI and the American military were given life sentences by a US judge on Wednesday.
A trial last year heard how the group had kidnapped a three-year-old in Georgia in December 2017 and taken him to a purpose-built training facility in rural New Mexico, from where they planned to wage war against what they thought were corrupt institutions.
A fifth person, Jany Leveille, a Haitian national who was the group’s alleged spiritual leader, was given a 15-year sentence under a plea deal, a Department of Justice statement said.
Federal prosecutors who began the case against the five in 2018 said the compound was a facility for training the children to carry out school shootings. While it was heavily fortified, there was no running water, no electricity and very little in the way of food.
The kidnapped child died days later, with Leveille prophesying he would come back to life in April the following year and then lead them against their enemies, killing anyone who refused to join their cult.
“In response, the group’s firearms and tactical training ramped up in frequency, intensity, and complexity in anticipation of the Easter resurrection,” the Justice Department statement said. When that date came and went without a resurrection, she changed the forecast to a time later in the year.
Law enforcement officers raided the compound in August 2018, finding a number of malnourished children, who were handed over to child welfare authorities. “While clearing the compound, weapons, ammunition, and training documents were discovered confirming intelligence that had been received,” the Justice Department said.
A later search found the body of the three-year-old. “The group intended to use the child as a prop in a plan to rid the world of purportedly corrupt institutions, including the FBI, CIA, and US military, and to kill those who did not convert and follow Leveille,” the statement said.
Siraj Ibn Wahhaj — the father of the kidnapped child — his sisters Hujrah Wahhaj and Subhanah Wahhaj, and Subhanah’s husband, Lucas Morton were all jailed for life without the possibility of parole. Leveille will be deported on her release.
© 2024 AFP
