IS Supporter Pleads Guilty To Planning Synagogue Attack In Ohio - US Justice Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th May, 2021) A man from Ohio has admitted guilt for his attempts to aid the Islamic State terror group (IS, banned in Russia) and for planning an attack on a Jewish synagogue, the Justice Department said in a statement.

"Damon M. Joseph, aka Abdullah Ali Yusuf, 23, of Holland, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, aka ISIS, and attempting to commit a hate crime, for planning an attack on a synagogue in the Toledo, Ohio area," the department said on Tuesday.

Joseph was described as a self-radicalized, online jihadist.

Investigators became interested in him after they found several social media posts featuring weapons and pro-IS material. He later spoke and met with undercover agents, during which he agreed to produce what he believed to be propaganda for the group, as well as expressing his intention to commit an act or terror on synagogues in the greater Toledo area.

He is scheduled to be sentenced in September, and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison for his crimes. The FBI officials involved with the case added that this is an excellent opportunity to remind the public to remain vigilant about these sorts of homegrown threats.