Montesano man who talked about attacks in support of Islamic State gets 6 years for firearms charges

OLYMPIA — A Montesano man who illegally possessed firearms and expressed a desire to harm police or military personnel out of allegiance to radical Islamic ideology was sentenced to six years in prison in U.S District Court in Tacoma on Friday.

Daniel Seth Franey, 33, also known as Abu Dawuud, was arrested in February 2016 after an undercover investigation by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

According to the plea agreement and other records filed in the case, Franey handled several firearms, to include firing fully automatic machine guns on one occasion, on multiple occasions between September and November 2015. A permanent order prohibits him from possessing firearms.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office Western District of Washington, U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton said at the sentencing hearing that he was concerned about “the persistent nature of the threats” to the military and law enforcement, and Franey’s history of domestic violence.

“This defendant espoused his jihadist ideology and talked about his desire to kill police and military officers with nearly everyone he met,” U.S. Attorney Annette Hayes said in the news release. “His talk turned to action when he tried repeatedly to obtain high powered weapons and ammunition, and identified a target for his attack. This sentence will protect the public from this defendant who remains dangerous.”