The Dannon brothers, residents of Fishers, Indiana, have been sentenced by the U.S. Department of Justice for their attempts to manufacture and distribute machine guns with the intent to support ISIS. In June 2018, the brothers devised a plan to supply stolen firearms to a convicted felon who was collaborating with the FBI.
According to a press release issued by the U.S. Department of Justice, between July and December 2018, the Dannon brothers sold several illegally obtained firearms to this cooperating criminal. Beyond these sales, they also began manufacturing untraceable guns by purchasing individual parts online and assembling fully-functioning semi-automatic and fully-automatic rifles. After joining an undercover agent to market these rifles, Moyad Dannon discerned that the potential buyer intended to assist ISIS. Despite this knowledge, the brothers agreed to manufacture and sell an additional 55 fully automatic weapons for the benefit of the terrorist organization.
U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers for the Southern District of Indiana stated, "Violent extremists inspired by events abroad continue to pose a threat to our local communities and to our national security. Indiana is not immune from the poison of radicalization, fueled by terrorist propaganda available online." He added that "for nearly a year, these defendants worked persistently to arm murderous terrorists with deadly, illegal weapons." Myers emphasized that cases like this highlight "the need for law enforcement agencies to use all available lawful means to identify, disrupt, and prosecute national security threats here at home." He commended "the tremendous efforts of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Fishers Police Department," stating that due to their work "these dangerous men have been held accountable for their actions and our communities will be safe from them for many years."
After assembling five untraceable fully automatic rifles, Dannon sold these weapons to undercover FBI agents. Prior to his arrest in May 2019, he had numerous conversations with an undercover agent, expressing his desire to support ISIS and use his knowledge of firearms to provide military assistance. A flash drive belonging to Moyad, seized after the arrest, contained graphic violent videos of ISIS committing terrorist acts against U.S. military personnel and Syrian civilians, according to the same press release.
