Maryland Man Accused of Providing Material Support to ISIS

 

Maryland man suspected of providing material support to ISIS.

Mohamad Elshinawy allegedly pledged his allegiance to ISIL and said his "soul was over there with the jihadists."

The FBI said Elshinawy was instructed by ISIS to "cause destruction" or to conduct a terrorist attack in the United States. They say he pretended to sell printers on eBay to mask payments coming from a suspected ISIS operative. He received the payments through Western Union and PayPal, authorities said.

Elshinawy allegedly used an Internet hot spot allowing him to access the Internet quasi-anonymously, and used social media, email accounts and "pay as you go" phones to communicate. They say he used a social media account under the pseudonym "Egyptt in USA."

The FBI also said he declared a "love of jihad."

An address listed in a search warrant for Elshinawy's Edgewood home in Harford County shows he lives about two minutes from the U.S. Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Elshinawy was formally charged Monday in U.S. District court in Baltimore with attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, obstruction of agency proceedings, and making false statements and falsifying or concealing material facts