UPDATE: The headline of this post has been revised to reflect the sentence Amin received.
“Amin made ISIL propaganda accessible to western supporters and provided justification for violent acts, including the beheading of journalists.” How many others like him are in the U.S. and still operating on Twitter?
“Virginia Teen to Be Sentenced for Helping ISIS,” NBC News, August 28, 2015:
A Virginia teenager is set to be sentenced for helping another teen travel to Syria to join the Islamic State and providing other aid to the militant group.
Seventeen-year-old Ali Shukri Amin of Manassas faces up to 15 years in prison when he’s sentenced Friday in federal court in Alexandria. Prosecutors, however, could recommend he serve less time.
Amin pleaded guilty in June to conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. He would have otherwise been graduating from high school with honors around the time of his plea. Juveniles rarely face charges in the federal system.
Authorities say Amin admitted to helping 18-year-old Reza Niknejad of Prince William County travel to Syria to join the group in January. FBI Assistant Director Andrew McCabe said that after taking Niknejad to the airport, Amin delivered a letter and thumb drive to Niknejad’s family informing them that they would likely never see him again.
Amin and Niknejad sometimes used code words to communicate, Northern Virginia Bureau Chief Julie Carey reported. “Syracuse” meant “Syria,” “basketball” meant “jihad” and “basketball team” meant “jihadist organization.”…
“He gained over 4,000 followers on Twitter and sent over 7,000 tweets as part of his campaign to help ISIL,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Dana Boente said….
Amin also admitted to using Twitter to provide advice and encouragement to the Islamic State and its supporters, according to a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement. Through his Twitter handle Amreekiwitness — Amreeki translates to “American” – Amin provided instruction on how to use Bitcoin, a virtual currency, to mask funds going to the group and helped supporters seeking to travel to Syria to fight with the group, court documents said.”Amin made ISIL propaganda accessible to western supporters and provided justification for violent acts, including the beheading of journalists,” McCabe said.
Before his arrest, Amin was an honor student [at] Osbourn Park High School in Manassas, where Niknejad also was a student….
An honor student? But…but…poverty and ignorance cause terrorism!