WILMINGTON, N.C. — A man from North Carolina has admitted guilt in a federal court concerning his intentions to travel abroad and ally himself with the Islamic State Group. This plea was entered on Tuesday following ongoing investigations into his activities last year.
Alexander Justin White, a U.S. citizen hailing from Durham, was apprehended on December 4 at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. His arrest came after authorities uncovered plans he had to journey to Morocco in order to join the terrorist organization, according to federal officials.
In the U.S. Eastern District of North Carolina, White accepted responsibility for the charges of conspiring to provide and attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist group that has been designated as such. The Department of Justice released information outlining the events leading to his court appearance.
Legal experts suggest that White could face a sentence of up to 20 years if convicted.
Concerns regarding White’s support for the Islamic State surfaced throughout the previous year as he shared multiple pro-IS images and clips on social media platforms such as Facebook. Additionally, he operated under the moniker Sulaiman Al-Amriki, which translates to Sulaiman the American, raising red flags for authorities.
Throughout the investigation, White was reportedly engaged in a series of private conversations with various Facebook users who claimed to be from regions in Africa and the Middle East, expressing his enthusiasm for traveling to join IS. Furthermore, he had extensive communications with an undercover FBI agent over several months, in which he discussed his desire to join the group and even took part in a staged video call with someone he believed was an IS spokesperson.
Ultimately, White informed the undercover agent that he had booked a flight to Rabat, Morocco, and strategically purchased a round-trip ticket to avoid raising any concerns among airport security, according to prosecutor statements.
On December 4, upon arriving at RDU Airport and successfully passing through security, White was apprehended while attempting to board his flight, as confirmed by law enforcement officials.
