Alleged Santa Rosa ISIS supporter arrested

A Santa Rosa ex-convict who authorities said pledged allegiance to ISIS and threatened an armed confrontation with police if he wasn’t deported to his native Sudan is being held at the Sonoma County jail.

Elias Gebreweit Isaac, 27, was arrested Sunday after he summoned officers to his home, a county Probation Department report said.

Isaac, who was released from prison July 5 after serving time for a weapons violation, said he had been watching news accounts of conflict in the Middle East and abroad and wanted to “join his brothers,” the report said.

He said he was upset that he wasn’t deported to the country he left when he was 4 years old and vowed to obtain an assault rifle, dial 911 and confront police, the report said.

“He emphasized he did not want things to get to that point, but if he did not get what he wanted, he would be forced to move forward with his plan,” said the report signed Monday by Chief Probation Officer David Koch.

Court records show Isaac was sentenced to five years in prison in 2012 for his most recent gun offense. In 2009, he received three years in prison for carrying a loaded gun in a public place, records show.

On Sunday, police said, he told them he called them so he could be detained and deported. When asked what he would do if that didn’t happen, he became agitated and vowed to “do what he had to do,” saying it would not be hard for him to get a rifle. He pointed to a tactical handbook he had been reading that was found in his room, the report said.

He apparently engaged officers in a conversation about ISIS killings, refusing to agree with a police statement that they are terrorist acts and instead labeling them “missions” for the greater good, the report said.

At one point, he gazed upward and to his right and said “Allahu Akbar” when asked if he was feeling all right, the report said.

He was taken into custody for an assessment of his threats and a mental evaluation, the report said. Later, police accused him of violating release terms requiring him to maintain good conduct.

Koch said his threats were cause for “grave concern” and recommended a six-month jail sentence if he’s convicted of breaking the law.

Isaac is to appear Thursday morning before Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Dana Simonds.

“His expressed violent threats to society cannot be overlooked,” Koch said. “Therefore, this department believes a lengthy stay in jail is appropriate.”

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 707-568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com.