A man from North Carolina has been taken into custody while attempting to board a flight to join the Islamic State group, as detailed in a federal complaint made public on Tuesday.
Alexander Justin White, a 29-year-old U.S. citizen residing in Durham, faces accusations of providing, attempting, and conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, as stated by federal prosecutors. His arrest on December 4 followed an extensive investigation that uncovered various pro-IS messages sent by White to multiple users on Facebook and an undercover FBI agent over several months.
White adopted the online alias Sulaiman Al-Amriki — translating to Sulaiman the American — and reportedly shared pro-IS content frequently on Facebook from June through October 2024. This material included propaganda videos associated with IS and other radical Islamic groups.
Throughout this time, prosecutors noted that White engaged in discussions with several social media users who claimed ties to the Middle East and North Africa, expressing his support for IS. He communicated his desire to travel to Africa to join IS and reflected on missed chances to affiliate with the organization during past travels, specifically mentioning a trip to Egypt in 2018, according to court documents.
In addition, White had multiple interactions with an undercover FBI agent over several months, during which he reiterated his intentions to join IS. This included a simulated video call that he believed connected him with a spokesperson for an IS commander, as stated by prosecutors.
During text exchanges with the undercover agent, authorities revealed that White conveyed his aspiration to be a mujahid, an Arabic term for “holy warrior,” and discussed plans to raise funds for IS members who were detained as well as their families.
After several months of deliberations regarding his intention to travel abroad and team up with IS, White sent the agent a screenshot of his travel plans, which indicated a flight scheduled for December 4 from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to Rabat, Morocco, according to court records.
To avoid drawing attention to his travel, White purchased a round-trip ticket, as noted by prosecutors. On December 4, he arrived at RDU Airport with three bags, checked in for a connecting flight to Paris, and proceeded through the security checkpoint. However, he was arrested a few hours later while trying to board the plane.
A federal public defender assigned to represent White has chosen not to comment on the ongoing case as of Wednesday.
