A former Army National
Guardsman and Muslim immigrant from Sierra Leone, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh pleaded
guilty on October 27th, 2016, to charges of attempting to provide material
support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), according to a U.S.
Department of Justice (DOJ) announcement.
Jalloh, 27, of Sterling,
Va., was arrested in July on charges of assisting an ISIS plot to attack the
United States and was taken into custody.
Court documents said a now
deceased member of ISIS who was plotting an attack introduced Jalloh and
someone in the United States who was actually an informant for the FBI in March
2016.
Jalloh had met the ISIS
member and others during a recent six-month trip to Nigeria. Jalloh met twice
with the informant and told this person that he'd decided not to re-enlist in
the Virginia Army National Guard after hearing lectures from late star
al-Qaeda recruiter Anwar al-Awlaki.
He also told the informant
that he'd frequently thought about conducting an attack in the U.S., according
to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement. Jalloh said he
was inspired by the July 2015 Chattanooga attack and the November
2009 Fort Hood attack.
Assistant Director in Charge
of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Paul M. Abbate said Jalloh purchased a
weapon following multiple attempts to procure assault rifles and handguns,
believing they would be used in an ISIL-directed attack on U.S.
soil."Jalloh bought an assault rifle from a Northern Virginia gun dealer
on July 2; even though he test-fired the gun first, it was rendered
inoperable before he took it home. He was arrested the next day.
"Jalloh also provided money on multiple occasions to support
ISIL after attempting to join the terrorist group," Abbate said. This
included a $500 transfer that Jalloh thought was going to ISIS but went to an
undercover FBI employee.
According to the statement
of facts filed with the plea agreement, during the May 2016 meeting, Jalloh asked
the CHS about the timeline for an operation and commented that it was better to
plan an attack operation for the month of Ramadan, and stated that such
operations are, "100 percent the right thing."
"Jalloh attempted to provide material support to ISIL by
transferring funds intended for use by ISIL, taking steps to join and assist
others in joining ISIL, and attempting to obtain a weapon that he believed
would be used in an attack on U.S. soil in the name of ISIL," said Mary B.
McCord, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security.
"Counterterrorism remains our highest priority and we will
continue to hold accountable those who attempt to provide material support to
foreign terrorist organizations."
Jalloh faces up to 20 years
in prison when he's sentenced on February, 10, 2017, according to DOJ
announcement.
Source: PJ media/ Patch.com
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