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Friday, April 19, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Virginia Woman to Be Tried as ISIS Supporter

RICHMOND, Va. (CN) - Heather Elizabeth Coffman, a Virginia woman suspected of supporting the Islamic terror group ISIS, has waived her right to a detention hearing and preliminary trial.

Coffman is accused of making materially false statements involving acts of terrorism, as well as promoting international and domestic terrorism.

In a federal affidavit filed of Richmond, FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force Agent Odette Tavares detailed the charges against Coffman, including recurring engagements with an undercover FBI agent beginning July 2014.

"Through these meetings Coffman indicated that she h ad legitimate ISIS facilitator contacts, capable of arranging for training and entry into Syria to join the ISIS cause," Tavares wrote.

During a face to face meeting in a private hotel room on November 5, Coffman offered to share her contacts with the undercover agent, and to screen another party to establish his authenticity.

"Coffman described part of the vetting process as using a computer search of images sent to her by the facilitator to determine if the pictures are authentic originals, as opposed to photos that an imposter copied from internet open sources in an effort to appear legitimate," Tavares wrote.

Coffman also alluded to her husband, from whom she has since separated, and to having made financial arrangements for him to receive ISIS training in Syria, as well as her desire to be married to a "shaheed" or martyr, the government says.

The report also contains information about Coffman's questioning by two FBI special agents at her place of employment on Nov. 13-less than 24 hours before the complaint was filed.

"Coffman was asked whether [FBI undercover agent] supported ISIS or Al-Qaeda," said Special Agent Tavares in her report. "Coffman told the FBI special agents, 'We don't talk about things like that.'"

Coffman is charged with providing materially false information to the agents at the time of her interview.

The report also documents suspicious activity, including explicit images and excerpts from several Facebook accounts attributed to Coffman, whose internet activity has been under surveillance by the FBI since August of this year.

A Facebook screen shot of a cover page and photos for one of Coffman's accounts, under the moniker Heather Obeida-La'Ahad, shows photos of ISIS flags, and masked men holding assault rifles.

"I love ISIS!" She is quoted as posting in the report. "They keep deleting my accounts because of it."

Coffman's trial date has not been set. She remains in custody of the state.

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