Daniel Seth Franey

Daniel Seth Franey is a U.S. citizen and alleged ISIS sympathizer from Washington. He pleaded guilty to illegally possessing machine guns and other firearms in July 2016,“Montesano man who supported ISIS, bin Laden, pleads guilty to illegal firearm possession,” Q13 Fox, July 12, 2016, http://q13fox.com/2016/07/12/montesano-man-who-supported-isis-bin-laden-pleads-guilty-to-illegal-firearm-possession-daniel-franey-abu-dawuud-292289/. and was sentenced to six years in prison in January 2017.Associated Press, “Man Accused of Supporting Islamic State Group Gets 6 Years,” ABC News, January 24, 2017, http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/man-accused-supporting-islamic-state-group-years-45000791. Franey—who praised Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) cleric Anwar al-Awlaki—told undercover FBI agents he desired to kill Americans, including U.S. military personnel. He openly supported ISIS over social media and in discussions with neighbors, and expressed to undercover FBI agents his desire to travel to Iraq and Syria to “join the fight,” according to the criminal complaint filed against him.U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 5, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download;
Rick Anderson, “The FBI Suspected an Army Vet Was Plotting Attacks in the US – So They Gave Him Guns,” Vice News, March 15, 2016, https://news.vice.com/article/fbi-suspected-army-vet-daniel-seth-franey-plotting-attacks-the-us-so-they-gave-him-guns.

Franey reportedly served in the U.S. Army from 2002 to 2008 as an Enhanced Operator and Maintainer of Patriot Missile Launching Stations.U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 4, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download. Prior to his 2016 arrest, Franey lived in western Washington for three years working as a commercial fisherman.U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 4, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download. In May 2014, an Illinois court served Franey with a protective order following a domestic violence case with his ex-wife. The order prevented Franey from possessing a firearm in the United States.U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 4-5, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download;
Rick Anderson, “The FBI Suspected an Army Vet Was Plotting Attacks in the US – So They Gave Him Guns,” Vice News, March 15, 2016, https://news.vice.com/article/fbi-suspected-army-vet-daniel-seth-franey-plotting-attacks-the-us-so-they-gave-him-guns.

In April 2015, Franey’s neighbor alerted the local sheriff as to conversations he had had with Franey. According to his neighbor, Franey regularly discussed his support for ISIS and said he would gladly give up his family to travel overseas to “join the fight” to kill Americans. Despite being legally barred from possessing firearms, Franey attempted to convince his neighbor to sell him an AK-47 machine gun.U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 5, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download. On April 6, 2015, Franey reportedly instructed his neighbor to fly an ISIS flag outside his house, and warned that he would kill him if he did not support the terrorist group. Franey reportedly clenched his fists and advanced on his neighbor when he was asked to leave his house.U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 5-6, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download.

Several other witnesses reported Franey to the authorities in 2015, according to the criminal complaint filed against him. Two witnesses said Franey told them he wished to “kill Marines because they are raping women and killing them,” and that he wished he “could get over there [Iraq and Syria].” In September 2015, Franey approached another witness and told him that “things were going to happen [soon],” and that he was going to behead police officers.U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 6, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download.

Franey was approached by an undercover agent of Seattle’s FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force on July 2, 2015. According to the criminal complaint, the agent posed as a Christian interested in learning more about Islam.U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 7, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download. In their first conversation, Franey was praised Osama bin Laden, calling him “a diamond,” “a holy warrior,” and “a beautiful man.”U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 8, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download.

The FBI agent told Franey that he was a black market gun dealer. Over the next several months, Franey accompanied the agent on multiple staged gun deliveries throughout Washington, where he conducted transactions with other undercover agents.U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 12-30, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download;
Rick Anderson, “The FBI Suspected an Army Vet Was Plotting Attacks in the US – So They Gave Him Guns,” Vice News, March 15, 2016, https://news.vice.com/article/fbi-suspected-army-vet-daniel-seth-franey-plotting-attacks-the-us-so-they-gave-him-guns. Throughout these interactions, Franey repeatedly expressed his desire to kill U.S. military members.U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 12-30, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download. The staged gun deliveries began in August 2015 and continued through November 2015.U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 9-30, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download.

During a delivery trip in August 2015, Franey spoke of attacking the Lewis-McChord military base south of Seattle. He told the undercover agent that it was the obligation of Muslims in Seattle to “fight these soldiers until they stop fighting, until they’re dead, or until we’re dead.”U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 9, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download. He alerted the agent of an annual meeting for U.S. military members on the Washington coast, and proposed that he take over the meeting and “kill them all.”Rick Anderson, “The FBI Suspected an Army Vet Was Plotting Attacks in the US – So They Gave Him Guns,” Vice News, March 15, 2016, https://news.vice.com/article/fbi-suspected-army-vet-daniel-seth-franey-plotting-attacks-the-us-so-they-gave-him-guns. In September 2015, during a ride to another staged delivery, Franey referred to deceased AQAP cleric Anwar al-Awlaki as a “scholar” who “[spoke] the truth.”U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 14, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download.

The FBI continued to monitor Franey’s activity through January 2016. Franey made continuous efforts to convince the agent to sell him firearms, and expressed his desire to kill federal and local law enforcement and U.S. military personnel.U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 30, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download.

The FBI arrested Franey during a raid at his home in Montesano, Washington, on February 6, 2016. He was charged with five counts of unlawful possession of firearms for his participation in the undercover gun deliveries. Franey initially pled not guilty on March 7, 2016.Rick Anderson, “The FBI Suspected an Army Vet Was Plotting Attacks in the US – So They Gave Him Guns,” Vice News, March 15, 2016, https://news.vice.com/article/fbi-suspected-army-vet-daniel-seth-franey-plotting-attacks-the-us-so-they-gave-him-guns;
Mary Kay Mallonee, “Alleged ISIS sympathizer arrested in U.S.,” CNN, February 8, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/08/politics/isis-sympathizer-arrested-in-washington/. On July 12, 2016, he pled guilty to illegally possessing machine guns and other firearms.“Montesano man who supported ISIS, bin Laden, pleads guilty to illegal firearm possession,” Q13 Fox, July 12, 2016, http://q13fox.com/2016/07/12/montesano-man-who-supported-isis-bin-laden-pleads-guilty-to-illegal-firearm-possession-daniel-franey-abu-dawuud-292289/. He was sentenced to six years in prison in January 2017.Associated Press, “Man Accused of Supporting Islamic State Group Gets 6 Years,” ABC News, January 24, 2017, http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/man-accused-supporting-islamic-state-group-years-45000791. He is currently incarcerated at Residential Reentry Management Seattle in Washington, with a scheduled release date of June 17, 2021.“DANIEL SETH FRANEY,” Find an Inmate – Federal Bureau of Prisons, accessed March 23, 2021, https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/.

Also Known As

Extremist entity
ISIS
Read Threat Report
Type(s) of Organization:
Insurgent, territory-controlling, religious, terrorist, violent
Ideologies and Affiliations:
Islamist, jihadist, pan-Islamist, Salafist, takfiri
Position(s):
Attempted domestic terrorist

ISIS is a violent jihadist group based in Iraq and Syria. The group has declared wilayas (provinces) in Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the North Caucasus. ISIS has also waged attacks in Turkey, Lebanon, France, Belgium, Iraq, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Tunisia, and Kuwait.

  • Rhetoric

2015

Speaking to a witness about killing U.S. military personnel:
“[I need] to go kill Marines because they are raping women and killing them.”U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 6, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download.

2015

Speaking to a witness about U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria:
“I wish I could get over there [Syria and Iraq]. I would kill everyone.”U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 6, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download.

October 26, 2015

Attempting to convince the undercover agent to convert to Islam and fight in Syria:
“[If you do not fight] you will not be regarded as a strong Muslim in the eyes of Allah, and you will not be given this station in paradise…that you would be given if you migrated…You would be given a much higher status, much more loved. And if you went there to fight, even more so.”U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 22, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download.

October 26, 2015

Describing himself to undercover agents at a staged gun delivery:
“I am scarier to the government than you guys…I’m an ISIS guy. I know ISIS guys. I’m an ISIS soldier…I consider myself an ISIS soldier as much as the brothers over there.”U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 23, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download.

August 3, 2015

Informing the undercover agent of his obligation to attack Lewis-McCord military base:
“[It is] the obligation of Muslims on the right guidance from Allah to fight these soldiers until they stop fighting, until they’re dead, or until we’re dead. That is our obligation. For me, it’s an interesting deal. Islam is ISIS. ISIS is Islam.”U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 9, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download.

August 3, 2015

Informing the undercover agent of his plan to attack the Lewis-McChord military base:
“I just need a .50 cal machine gun, a .50 cal sniper rifle, I need a few dozen AK-47s, some shoulder launch rockets.”U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 9, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download.

July 8, 2015

Telling the undercover agent he wants to travel to Mosul, Iraq:
“I want to go fight with, alongside ISIS [sic].”U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 8, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download.

July 2, 2015

Describing ISIS to the undercover agent:
“[They are] the best people on earth. Anyone comes at us and they’re against the Islamic State, ended up like the people you see on the videos with their head on the ground [sic].”U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 7-8, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download.

July 2, 2015

Describing Osama Bin Laden to the undercover agent:
“Bin Laden is a diamond. He’s a holy warrior. He’s a beautiful man.”U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Daniel Seth Franey, Defendant,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 5, 2016, 8, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/file/827046/download.

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Daily Dose

Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.

In Their Own Words:

We reiterate once again that the brigades will directly target US bases across the region in case the US enemy commits a folly and decides to strike our resistance fighters and their camps [in Iraq].

Abu Ali al-Askari, Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH) Security Official Mar. 2023
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