US

Maryland Man Indicted For Helping ISIS

Getty Images

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Casey Harper Contributor
Font Size:

A federal grand jury indicted a Maryland man for allegedly trying to help Islamic State, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.

The grand jury handed down the indictment late Wednesday. It alleges that Mohamed Elshinawy, 30, of Edgewood, Md., communicated regularly via the Internet with ISIS and even discussed getting an explosive device to carry out an attack.

Elshinawy was connected to an ISIS member through a childhood friend. The member based out of Egypt recruited Elshinawy to use ISIS funds to carry out an attack. Elshinawy allegedly received thousands of dollars in multiple overseas payments.

“According to the allegations in the indictment, Elshinawy conspired to provide material support to ISIL and received funds in order to carry out an attack,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin says in a statement. “When confronted by the FBI, he lied in order to conceal his support for ISIL and the steps he took to provide material support to the deadly foreign terrorist organization.  This indictment is the next step in holding Elshinawy accountable.  The National Security Division remains committed to protecting the nation from terrorist threats, and we will continue to pursue and disrupt those who seek to provide material support to ISIL.”

The Department of Justice says Elshinawy told ISIS operatives he was excited about its progress in Iraq and Syria, and “every time he saw the news, he smiled.” He is charged with conspiring to provide and with providing material support to ISIS, terrorism financing, and making false statements in a terrorism matter. He faces up to 43 years in prison.

“This case demonstrates how terrorists exploit modern technology to inculcate sympathizers and build hidden networks, but federal agents and prosecutors are working tirelessly and using every available lawful tool to disrupt their evil schemes,” U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein says in a statement.

Send tips to casey@dailycallernewsfoundation.org. Follow Casey on Twitter and like him on Facebook.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.