File Photo. Stephane Yas—AFP
Mufid Elfgeeh faces a maximum of 30 years in prison for his role in providing material support and resources to terror group.
A New Yorker who was one of the first recruiters for the Islamic State group captured in the United States pleaded guilty on Thursday to attempting to provide material support to the extremists.
Mufid Elfgeeh, 31, faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and lifetime supervised release, with the United States on alert for terror attacks after a mass shooting in California on Dec. 2. He used social media to spread I.S. group propaganda, declare support for the jihadists and to seek financial contributions to donate to the extremists, as well as to attempt to recruit fighters.
Elfgeeh pleaded guilty “to attempting to provide material support and resources” to the Islamic State group, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement. “One of the first ISIL recruiters ever captured in this country stands convicted of terrorism-related charges,” said U.S. Attorney William Hochul. He urged the American public to “continue to report to law enforcement any suspicious individuals or activities and thereby hasten the demise of these killers.”
Between December 2013 and May 31, 2014, Elfgeeh recruited and tried to send two individuals—both of whom were cooperating with the FBI—to Syria to fight with the I.S. group. Elfgeeh is scheduled to be sentenced in March.