American Convicted of Terrorism Charges

(Scranton, Pennsylvania) In October 2005, a 47-year-old Wilkes-Barre man, Michael Curtis Reynolds, starts communicating in an Islamist chat room looking for an opportunity to make money from al-Qaeda terrorists. For $40,000, Reynolds wanted to sell plans to attack the Alaska and Transcontinental pipelines and U.S. refineries.

Reynolds, now 49, is a divorced father of three who lives in Connecticut and has held a variety of jobs in the electronics field. He also once was involved with a paintball operation and is described as a loner.

Monitoring the Islamist chat room was Shannen Rossmiller, a former Montana magistrate who has been independently hunting terrorists on the Internet since 9/11. After learning Reynolds' intentions, Rossmiller contacted the FBI who set up agents to impersonate al-Qaeda members to Reynolds. Ultimately, a sting was engineered and Reynolds was arrested.

In October 2006, Reynolds was indicted by a federal grand jury on terrorism charges.

Last month, Reynolds went on trial in Scranton before a jury of six women and six men.

In closing arguments earlier on Friday, defense attorney Joseph O'Brien said Reynolds had been attempting to communicate online with purported Islamist militants to expose them and not because he had any intention of working with them.

"His intent was the same as Rossmiller's," O'Brien told the court before U.S. District Judge Edwin Kosik. "He was out there trying to uncover terrorist actions."

But Assistant U.S. Attorney John Gurganus said Reynolds had admitted he told no one of his online contacts with purported militants, who also included an FBI agent posing as an attack plotter.

"He actively offered his services to commit acts of terrorism," said Gurganus, dismissing Reynolds' claim that he intended to trap alleged militants on the Internet. "He really is a person who thought he could make money helping al Qaeda."

On July 13th, the jury convicted Reynolds of four counts of terrorism, including attempting to "provide material support to al-Qaeda." With the conviction, Reynolds possibly faces more than 57 years in prison when sentenced.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.