STARKVILLE, Miss.–If someone told you that your son had tried to leave the country to join a terrorist group, it would probably be some of the worst news you had ever gotten. The family of Muhammad “Mo” Dakhlalla got that news this weekend, and their attorney said Wednesday that they have still not felt the full impact of the news.
“The best description I’ve been able to come up with, both Lisa and Oda, the parents, are like somebody who has been hit right between the eyes with a two by four and they’re still blinking and shaking their heads trying to get their bearings, but the pain hasn’t started yet,” said Dennis Harmon, who said on the Gallo Show that he is representing the family more as a friend, having known them for several years.
Harmon said the family knew nothing of Mo’s plans before they got the news.
“They found out when the FBI knocked on their door, told them what happened and asked to search Mo’s room, which they readily agreed to.”
Harmon said that as Imam of the mosque in Starkville, he regularly spoke with the FBI with routine checks on the Islamic community.
“They come by his house and want to ask him questions and he sits ’em down to dinner. So it was people he trusted who came to his door when the FBI came.”
Harmon said Mo was devout, as was the rest of the family, and did attend the mosque with his family.
