Caption: US citizen who fought for ISIS listed his job title as ‘sniper,’ displayed hand-drawn black flag in jail cell

A US citizen is on trial after allegedly training dozens of ISIS recruits to become snipers during the terror group’s deadly onslaught in Syria.

Ruslan Maratovich Asainov is facing charges of providing material support to ISIS in the form of ‘personnel, training, expert advice and assistance and weapons.’ He also faces additional charges receiving training from ISIS and obstruction of justice.

‘People died as a result of the defendant’s actions,’ Assistant US Attorney Nina Gupta said in the prosecution’s opening arguments. The Justice Department alleges Asainov trained ‘dozens’ of ISIS recruits while fighting in Syria.

Born in Kazakhstan in 1976, Asainov immigrated to the US and settled in Brooklyn in 1998 with his wife and child.

One of the photos Asainov sent his friend from the Syrian city of Tabqa (Picture: AP/US Attorney’s Office EDNY)

Sometime in 2013, Asainov bought a one-way plane ticket to Istanbul. From there, he allegedly snuck over the border to join the Islamist terror group which at the time controlled a large swathe of territory across eastern Syria and western Iraq.

According to the Justice Department, Asainov went by the names ‘Suleiman al-Amriki’ and ‘Suleiman al-Kazakhi’ while fighting in Syria. Federal prosecutors allege he became one of the terror group’s 40,000 foreign fighters that travelled to the country since 2011.

Asainov quickly rose through the ranks of ISIS, eventually earning the title of emir. He was put in charge of training new recruits in weapons.

Asainov tried to get his friend to pay for a new scope for his sniper rifle from the US (Picture: AP/US Attorney’s Office EDNY)

He also personally tried to recruit a friend in America, who eventually became a confidential informant for the FBI.

In August 2014, Asainov’s friend asked him if ISIS was the ‘real deal.’ Asainov told him it was, adding that his ‘faith in Islam had been renewed since arriving in Syria.’

Asainov encouraged his friend to come to Syria with his family, at one point telling him ‘even grandmothers are coming.’ He promised him he could secure him a job in ISIS’s media operations because he was fluent in English, as well as free housing, food, and a $50 per month stipend.

The confidential informant never took Asainov up on the offer, but remained in contact with him in the following years. In 2015, Asainov messaged him again, asking for $2800 for a new scope for his sniper rifle.

Asainov’s hand-drawn ISIS flag, which he hung in his jail cell, was also entered into evidence (Picture: AP)

‘It’s been pretty hot since they started bombing us,’ Asainov told his friend. Around the same time, the US began conducting air strikes on ISIS positions in Syria.

At some point in 2015, Asainov sent his friend photos where he can be seen wearing combat fatigues and holding an assault rifle fitted with a scope.

‘Didnt mean to do show off cause here is just normal,’ Asainov told his friend. ‘But for you its motivation.’

He continued: ‘Everyone is with the weapons in the masjid on Jurnah, in the
store on the playground with kids.’

Asainov’s career as a fighter ended when he was captured by Syrian Democratic Forces, who turned him over to the FBI.

A courtroom artist’s depiction of Asainov while on trial in Brooklyn Federal Court (Picture: AP)

When Asainov was interviewed by FBI investigators, he appeared forthcoming and cooperative. He listed his job as ‘sniper’ and told them he trained dozens of recruits in rifle maintenance, ballistics, and simply ‘pulling the trigger.’

‘I would give, like, a three-hour lesson, just on that, just to pull the trigger,’ he told FBI agents.

Asainov’s trial began in Brooklyn Federal Court. Earlier last week, Asainov’s ex-wife Alexandra Asainov testified against him, saying she ‘couldn’t believe’ what became of a man who was once a loving father.

Alexandra said she remained in contact with her husband after he abruptly moved to Syria, but their relationship quickly became strained.

In October 2014, he reprimanded his wife after she posted photos of their daughter in a Halloween costume. ‘We are dying here to get rid of these holidays and my daughter is participating in them,’ he texted her.

He then sent her photos of bloody dead bodies wearing army fatigues.

‘These guys are my friends who died in the last battle which I participated in. Do you know what for? So all of this will not exist,’ Asainov said.

Alexandra said she cut off contact after these messages.

In 2020, Asainov was caught with a hand-drawn ISIS flag posted above his jail cell. When a jail warden confiscated it, he complained. ‘What’s the big deal? It’s mine. It’s religious,’ he allegedly said.

Asainov pleaded not guilty, which was entered on his behalf by his attorney. He originally refused to enter a plea, as he said he does not recognize the American legal system. If convicted, Asainov faces life in prison.

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The defendant encouraged his friend to come to Syria with his family, at one point telling him ‘even grandmothers are coming.’