Criminal Complaint Against Muhtorov

A federal magistrate judge is considering whether a Colorado man should be released on bond as federal prosecutors pursue terrorism charges against him.

A decision could come as early as Tuesday afternoon in the case of Jamshid Muhtorov of Aurora.

The 35-year-old Uzbek refugee is accused of vowing to fight with the Islamic Jihad Union, which the United States says is a terrorist organization. He was arrested Jan. 21 in Chicago on his way to Turkey.

During a hearing Tuesday, prosecutors argued he should be held. They said he bought a one-way ticket to Turkey, leaving his family behind.

However, defense attorneys claim the government's evidence doesn't show the entire context of what was going on his life and his reasons for trying to go to Turkey.

Muhtorov is a refugee from Uzbekistan and was allegedly trying to join the IJU. He allegedly has sworn allegiance to the IJU, stating he was ready for any task, even with the risk of dying. He is also reportedly known as Abumumin Turkistony and Abu Mumin.

The criminal complaint against Muhtorov includes details of phone and email conversations the FBI tapped during their investigation. Those conversations included reverences to the IJU, his willingness to commit to the cause, and several veiled conversations using variations on the codeword "wedding." The FBI Special Agent who wrote the complaint indicates that "wedding" is used as code for a terrorist attack.

According to the DOJ, the IJU is based in Pakistan, adheres to an anti-western ideology, opposes secular rule in Uzbekistan, and wants to replace the current regime with a government based on Islamic law. They’ve also claimed responsibility for a number of attacks in Afghanistan.

The DOJ is careful to say that Muhtorov is not accused of plotting any attacks against targets in the United States.

Muhtorov appeared in U.S. District Court in Chicago for the first time Friday morning. If convicted of the charge, Muhtorov faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.

Muhtorov has a detention hearing scheduled Tuesday.