Two men were arrested at a compound in New Mexico this week after they were discovered to be harboring 11 children in sub-human conditions with little food or water. Now, it turns out, they were also reportedly training the kids to commit school shootings. The children have been taken into protective care.
According to Buzzfeed News, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, 40, and Lucas Morton, 40, have been accused of teaching the kids “to kill as many people as possible.” Prosecutors claimed that one of the children’s foster parents said that they had been taught to use an assault rifle “in preparation for future school shootings.”
After a two-month investigation following the disappearance of a 4-year-old boy from Georgia named Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj, law enforcement officials raided the compound in Amalia, New Mexico, and arrested Ibn Wahhaj. On Monday, the remains of a young boy were found at the compound, though the body has not yet been identified.
Morton was also arrested, along with three women found at the compound. Two of the women are believed to be Hujrah Wahhaj, 38, and Subhanah Wahhaj, 35, the sisters of Ibn Wahhaj. The third woman, Jany Leveille, is believed to be his wife. All five adults were charged with 11 counts of child abuse on Wednesday, but all pleaded not guilty to the charges. They were ordered to be held on no bond, pending a hearing.
Ibn Wahhaj and his two sisters are the children of Siraj Wahhaj, an imam at the Masjid At-Taqwa in Brooklyn. The religious leader had posted several times on Facebook over the last several months asking if anyone knew of the whereabouts of his children. It is not currently known if Wahhaj is aware of what has happened, as he has not provided any comment or statement regarding the horrific situation.