Man linked to ISIS worked at Fayetteville convenience store

Akilah Davis Image
Saturday, November 4, 2017
Details emerge about Fayetteville man's affinity for ISIS
Twenty-four pages in the criminal complaint detail Houcine Ghoul's ties to ISIS in America.

FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina (WTVD) -- The FBI in North Carolina released details of an arrest involving a man who they said supported terrorism.

Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News App

The Snack Attack is a convenience store in Fayetteville located on Bragg Boulevard. It's also the center of a terrorist investigation.

Twenty-four pages in the criminal complaint detail Houcine Ghoul's ties to ISIS in America.

The federal document identifies him as a man who obtained U.S. citizenship by marrying a New York native; the two divorced less than a year later.

An undercover surveillance operation at the Snack Attack identifies Ghoul as a former employee here. The records detail how Ghoul asked a man named CJ who regularly hangs out at the store, to take a picture holding a sign that had Arabic writing on it.

CJ was arrested by authorities because of an unrelated investigation, but later told authorities he would argue with Ghoul, who claimed ISIS could beat the U.S. military.

CJ told authorities that Ghoul would often use the store's Internet to research ISIS-related material on his cell phone. We spoke to the store owners and they say Ghoul was fired more than two years ago and the store is under new management.

The document also details how Ghoul praised the 2015 terrorist attack in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Records continue to show his faithful allegiance to ISIS and even using the North Carolina flag to proclaim his American support for the state of Islam in Iraq through social media.