Former Aspinwall man indicted for obstructing terrorism investigation

A federal grand jury indicted a former Aspinwall man with obstructing of justice in a terrorism investigation on Tuesday.

Sean Andrew Duncan, 21, now a resident of Sterling, Va., altered, destroyed, mutilated, concealed, and covered up a thumb drive and memory chip with the intent to impede and obstruct an FBI investigation, according to the indictment.

Federal agents were tipped in early 2016, and got a boost to their investigation from Allegheny County Police later that year, surprising people in the area.

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The FBI raided Duncan's home in Virginia on Dec. 29. Moments before they entered through the front door, Duncan allegedly ran out the back door, barefoot.

Duncan allegedly threw a plastic baggie over the heads of agents guarding the back door. The baggie allegedly contained a memory chip from a thumb drive that had been snapped into pieces, and placed in a liquid substance. Upon searching Duncan, agents allegedly recovered a broken casing for a thumb drive from Duncan’s pants pocket.

Duncan first landed on the FBI's radar in February 2016, when a relative told the FBI that Duncan “converted to Islam, may have been radicalized, and voiced his approval of westerners being beheaded in the Middle East."

Duncan lived in Aspinwall up until June 2017, police said.

At that time, the FBI allegedly learned Duncan had contacted a woman who had been detained in another country for actively planning to join ISIS. In or around February 2015, Duncan allegedly told that person that he wanted to make “hijrah,” or a journey, to Syria and that he wanted her to go with him.

The woman told Duncan she was upset at work due to non-Muslim women wearing shorts that exposed their bodies. Duncan allegedly replied with a link to a website and a message saying she could “try this.” The link was to an article titled, “How to build a bomb in the kitchen of your Mom” from Inspire magazine.

In December 2016, Duncan allegedly contacted the woman and told her that he had come back from Turkey, where he and his wife were deported back to the United States. Duncan said he thought the FBI was monitoring him.

In or around October, law enforcement authorities in another country arrested a woman U.S. officials say is recruiter for ISIS. She kept names and telephone numbers of individuals who had requested to join her social media groups. Her notes allegedly included a handwritten name appearing to be “Sean Ibn Gary Duncan,” with Duncan’s phone number and mobile messaging account.

Allegheny County Police, investigating the June death of Duncan's 4-month-old son, turned Duncan's phone over to the FBI in early October. It allegedly contained searches for ISIS-related material and attacks, weapons, body armor, surveillance and defense tactics.

Duncan faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if convicted.

Cox Media Group