By Jason Meisner
Sitting in a car outside the Joliet Armory last year, (click here) then-National Guard specialistHasan Edmonds stroked his chin and calmly sipped a soda as he described how a terror plot on the base would be most effective if higher-ranking soldiers were killed first.
"The first person to take the reins is going to be the first sergeant," Edmonds said to his cousin, Jonas, and another man as the three staked out the armory in March 2015. "And then if he steps off, it's gonna be the company commander. That's the head. Kill the head, body follows...See the stripes, take the shot."
Edmonds went on to describe in a matter-of-fact tone the layout of the building and where soldiers would be lining up for drills. He assured his accomplices that none of the victims would be armed and most would have their cell phones off, so warnings of the attack would be slow to spread. He even suggested a gunman position himself near a particular exit to ambush fleeing soldiers....
