Two former jihadist operatives from the United States, one of whom allegedly trained with terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Pakistan and took part in attacks in Kashmir, have been appointed to the White House Advisory Board of Lay Leaders under the Trump administration.
Ismail Royer and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, the co-founder of Zaytuna College, were included in the advisory panel despite their alleged links to extremist groups, according to Laura Loomer, a close supporter of former President Donald Trump.
Loomer criticised Royer’s appointment, calling it ‘insane’. She said Royer, who converted to Islam in 2000 and was previously known as Rendell Royer, was involved with the ‘Virginia Jihadi Network’. He was convicted in 2004 by a US court and sentenced to 20 years in prison for providing support to terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and LeT. He served 13 years.
Royer, now director of the Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team at the Religious Freedom Institute, admitted in a plea deal to helping five men travel to an LeT training camp in Pakistan, where they learned to use firearms and explosives. He also helped another man, Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Hamdi, get into the same camp, where he trained with a rocket-propelled grenade to support military actions against India.
Loomer also raised concerns about Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, who is described by the White House as an adviser at Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union and co-founder of Zaytuna College — the first accredited Muslim liberal arts college in the US.
“I like to inform you that Shaykh Hamza Yusuf is also a jihadi who has lied about the true definition of jihad and is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. Zaytuna College, which was co-founded by Hamza Yusuf, teaches Sharia Law,” she posted on X.