A Florida man was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday charging him with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as the terrorist group, ISIS.
Mohamed Fathy Suliman, 33 of Gainesville, was arrested by the FBI earlier in February following his expulsion from a foreign country, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
If convicted, Suliman faces 20 years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
“Protecting national security is a top priority of this office,” said U.S. Attorney Lawrence Keefe. “We are absolutely committed to deterring, disrupting and dismantling the plans of anyone who seeks to support a designated foreign terrorist organization. Together with our law enforcement partners, we stand ready to counter any threats to our nation or to our fellow citizens.”
Evidence suggests that Sulliman made a one-way flight reservation in June 2014 left flew from Orlando to Egypt, but abandoned his travel plans when the flight made a stop in Istabul, Turkey. He exited the airport and physically attempted to cross the Syrian border illegally in an effort to join and support ISIS.
Turkish authorities arrested him. An FBI interview in 2018 found Suliman stated he had researched how to get to Syria, and had purchased a plane ticket to Egypt to disguise his true travel plans from family and others. Suliman also reportedly admitted he purchased the airline ticket to Turkey, with cash to avoid creating an electronic record of the purchase.
Suliman’s arraignment hearing is scheduled for March 3, at 2:30 p.m. EST, at the U.S. Courthouse in Gainesville.
___
(c) 2021 The Orlando Sentinel
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
