Alleged Teen ISIS Recruiter Pleads Guilty
Ali Shukri Amin, a teenager in Virginia, USA, pleaded guilty on Thursday in a federal court as he admitted he helped ISIS recruitment to get more people. He will face up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced on Aug. 28.
CNN reports the 17-year-old was accused of helping Reza Niknejad, an 18-year-old teen who, officials believe, to have travelled to Syria to join ISIS. According to a law enforcement source, Amin was the one passing messages between ISIS contacts.
When Amin faced the judge in a blue jail jumpsuit on Thursday, he said "guilty sir" when he was asked to give his plea. Then he said "no sir" when he was asked if he is innocent in any way to the charges he is facing.
Amin also admitted he owns the Twitter account under the username @Amreekiwitness, which was used to provide advice and encouragement to the supporters of ISIS. According to Assistant Attorney General Carlin, social media sites like Twitter is used by terrorists for recruiting and propaganda purposes.
"Around the nation, we are seeing ISIL use social media to reach out from the other side of the world," Assistant Attorney General Carlin said. “Their messages are reaching America in an attempt to radicalize, recruit and incite our youth and others to support ISIL's violent causes," he added.
Bloomberg reports Amin is accused of providing instructions on how to use Bitcoin to hide funds sent to the group and helping an 18-year-old Prince William County resident travel to Syria to join ISIS in January. Meanwhile, on Wednesday in the Eastern District Court of Virginia, USA, Niknejad was also charged with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and conspiring to kill and injure people abroad.
Aside from recruiting teens to join their propaganda, the terrorists also abduct teenage girls and sell them as slaves in order to get funds, according to U.N. envoy Zainab Bangura.
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