Federal authorities have accused the first U.S citizen of recruiting three fighters for the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.
Mufid Elfgeeh, 30, of Rochester, N.Y., is the first U.S citizen to be accused of recruiting aid for the Islamic state. Elfgeeh is a naturalized U.S citizen born in Yeman, who previously owned and operated a convenience store.
Federal prosecutors indicted Mufid Elfgeeh with recruiting aid on Tuesday. Elfgeeh is being accused of providing material support to a designated foreign terror organization, named the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, referred to as ISIS or ISIL. According to court records seen by The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle viewed the court records, which accuse Elfgeeh of providing aid to three people to travel to Syria and fight with ISIS. Elfgeeh provided a individual with $600 to fight with ISIS.
According to court documents, Elfgeeh used the social media site Twitter to raise money for support to jihadist fighters in Syria. His tweets asked for followers to donate money. One post sent from the U.S citizen requested $5,000 from each family so the group could obtain a specific weapon, which cost $20,000.
Fox News reports, “Elfgeeh is also charged with one count of attempting to kill ‘officers and employees of the United States,’ two counts or possession of an unregistered firearm silencer, and a count of possession of firearms and silencers in furtherance of a violent crime.” These three charges of material support to the Islamic state group each carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, and the attempted murder charge carries up to a 20-year sentence.
“With today’s indictment of Mufid Elfgeehr, the government demonstrates that it will use all available tools to disrupt and defeat ISIS,” said U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul.