Florida man pleads guilty to supporting IS extremist group

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man accused in 2020 of plotting terror assaults within the U.S. and buying an arsenal of weapons has pleaded responsible to trying to offer materials assist to the Islamic State extremist group.

Mohammed Al-Azhari, a 25-year-old U.S. citizen, additionally agreed Thursday to just accept an 18-year jail sentence throughout the plea listening to earlier than U.S. Justice of the Peace Choose Anthony Porcelli in Tampa federal courtroom. A proper sentencing date has not been set.

Al-Azhari admitted in courtroom papers that he scouted potential terrorism targets within the Tampa Bay space, sought to accumulate a number of weapons and pledged an oath of allegiance to the Islamic State. The FBI recorded many conversations between Al-Azhari and confidential or undercover sources through which he mentioned avenging imprisoned Islamic State fighters and utilizing violence to oppose U.S. navy actions within the Center East.

An FBI affidavit says Al-Azhari was recorded as expressing admiration for Omar Mateen, the deceased shooter on the Orlando Pulse nightclub bloodbath in 2016, and even drove there to scope out the placement. In a dialog with a confidential informant, the FBI says, Al-Azhari stated, “That’s how I wish to die, to be trustworthy.”

The informant then requested how many individuals Al-Azhari needed to kill.

“I don’t wish to take 4 or 5, no. I wish to take not less than 50,” Al-Azhari replied on the recording, in accordance with the affidavit. “ like, brother Omar Mateen in Orlando did. He took 49 with him.”

The confidential FBI informant finally equipped Al-Azhari with a Glock handgun and a silencer as he had requested. He was arrested in Could 2020 after taking possession of the weapons. Investigators additionally seized three firearms, a crossbow, dozens of rounds of ammunition, a stun gun and not less than six knives belonging to Al-Azhari. He additionally sought to purchase a totally computerized AK-47-style weapon however was unsuccessful.

In line with the affidavit, Al-Azhari carried out reconnaissance on a number of potential Tampa Bay targets, together with seashores, parks and even the Tampa FBI area workplace. He additionally allegedly rehearsed what he would say when finishing up an assault, a few of which was intercepted by digital surveillance.

“Know America. Right now is your emergency. Right now we kill from you guys such as you killed from us,” he’s overheard saying, in accordance with the affidavit. “It is a revenge for Muslims.”

Alazhari is initially from California however spent a lot of his life abroad and finally embraced extremist Islamic ideology, in accordance with the FBI. He was imprisoned for 3 years in Saudi Arabia after a 2015 conviction involving his advocacy for Jaysh al-Islam, an armed extremist group preventing within the Syrian battle.

In 2018, after serving that sentence, he was deported to the U.S., the place the FBI instantly opened a terrorism assist investigation.

One purpose the case has taken so lengthy to resolve is that Al-Azhari was declared mentally incompetent to face trial in January 2022. After therapy at a federal jail medical middle in Butner, North Carolina, a decide determined in November that Al-Azhari’s competence had been restored.