A 28-year-old from Houston named Anas Said was recently arrested after the FBI had been watching him for years. Turns out, according to the wonderful folks over at Court Watch and 404 Media, the guy was arrested for being a graphic designer — for ISIS, the terrorist group.
Said’s side gig was creating pro-ISIS propaganda materials, like videos and images. The FBI had been tracking him for years, and even initially interviewed him about his pro-ISIS activities. They let it all slide until they found out that his pro-ISIS beliefs were a little bit more active than they once thought, discovering that he ran multiple Facebook accounts promoting the group.
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Investigators then found encrypted messages with ISIS detailing his graphic design work, including direct communications with the organization’s “number 2” designer, who goes by the extremely cringy and edgelordy name of “The Nightmare.” So on top of being a member of a terrorist organization, The Nightmare is also a giant dork.
Said created five propaganda videos and images for ISIS, all while receiving feedback from, ugh, The Nightmare. What a dweeb. Said’s work involved long intricate edit sessions where he added a lot of blood effects and such to heighten the anxiety and fear generated by his propaganda materials.
The Nightmare (barf) guided Said through creating the perfect propaganda material through multiple rounds of feedback to make it feel more professional.
Said also wanted to join ISIS in person rather than just being a distant graphic designer. He wanted to get in on the fun of committing terroristic acts against US military personnel. All the evidence was there so when the FBI approached him about it, he readily admitted his involvement with ISIS.
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