Muslim ex-soldier, ISIS supporter sentenced in execution-style slaying of Denver security guard

It’s universal. Always the same, from London to Lebanon to Libya, from Manhattan to Mumbai to Madrid, from Baghdad to Bali to Beslan, from Fort Hood to Fort Dix to Camp Leatherneck. From Asia to Africa, North America to South America, from Europe to Australia ….. for over a millennium, it transcends borders, nationalities, language, governance. Jihad.

Joshua Cummings is a veteran of the U.S. Army. Then he “pledged his allegiance to ISIS and fasted behind bars for three days to purge himself of an oath he took to uphold the U.S. Constitution.” What changed? Islam. He converted to Islam. Islam turned him from a patriot into a murderer.

“Ex-soldier, ISIS supporter sentenced in execution-style slaying of Denver security guard,” by Kathleen Joyce, Fox News, January 26, 2018:

An ex-soldier and a self-proclaimed ISIS supporter was sentenced to life in prison without parole Thursday for the execution-style slaying of a Denver transit security guard last year.

Joshua Cummings, 38, was found guilty of first-degree murder Thursday in the death of Scott Von Lanken, 56, after a three-day trial. Cummings was issued the mandatory sentence shortly after the verdict was read.

On Jan. 31, 2017, the ex-soldier walked up behind Von Lanken while the guard was speaking to two women late at night, put a gun to his neck and shot him, police said….

Cummings, who joined the Army in 1996 but never saw combat, told The Associated Press shortly after his arrest he supported ISIS, but investigators said they have not found any evidence that the terror group was linked to the killing.

Cummings also said he pledged his allegiance to ISIS and fasted behind bars for three days to purge himself of an oath he took to uphold the U.S. Constitution.

The Texas native declined to say if his support of ISIS led him to shoot Von Lanken. Officials believe the Muslim convert moved to Denver in 2016 from Pampa, Texas, the Denver Channel reported.

Denver’s Muslim community emailed the Department of Homeland Security on Dec. 24, 2016, expressing concerns over statements Cummings made at mosque events. The email stated Cummings was “very radicalized” and was fond of Shariah law.

The FBI has declined to comment on if agents took any action regarding the email about Cummings or if he was interviewed at that time.

Cummings had been vocal on Twitter about his views on Islam, and he was both critical and supportive of law enforcement.