Three Palm Beach Men Caught Trying to Join ISIS

Three alleged ISIS sympathizers have been arrested in Palm Beach, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced late Friday.

Two of the men — Gregory Hubbard, 52, who went by the name “Jibreel,” and Darren Arness Jackson, 50, who went by “Daoud” — are from West Palm Beach. The third, Dayne Atani Christian, 31, also known as "Shakur," is from Lake Park. 

According to the Department of Justice, Hubbard was arrested at Miami International Airport yesterday. He had planned to fly to Germany, then board a train to Turkey and cross the border into Syria. Before his departure, Christian and Jackson had been teaching him to use firearms at a local indoor shooting range. 

The criminal complaint notes that all three men wanted to travel to Syria and fight for ISIS and had expressed support for recent terrorist attacks, including the recent mass shooting at a gay club in Orlando. "What other place better, just add a couple of sprinkles and some strawberry frosting on top of it, they're gays," Christian allegedly said to a confidential informant. 

The men told the informant that they felt persecuted because of their Muslim faith and believed other people at the firing range where they trained were practicing killing Muslims. In order to maintain secrecy, they had come up with a code language: Fighting for ISIS was "playing soccer," and an AK-47 assault rifle that Christian obtained was "the Bible." 

All three face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS. Christian, who has a prior felony conviction for carrying a concealed firearm, may also face an additional ten years for illegally possessing a firearm.