US teen facing 15 years in prison for aid to Daesh

A tech-savvy US teen pleaded guilty Thursday to using social media to aid the Daesh group, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Ali Shukri Amin, 17, a resident of Virginia, admitted to providing advice and encouragement to IS and its supporters.

"Guilty, sir," the teen answered, when asked by the judge in the court in Alexandria, Virginia to state his plea to the charges.

With a slender build and trace of a moustache, the high school student admitted to having sent more than 7,000 Twitter messages in support of Daesh.

His lawyer, Joseph Flood, said the case was unprecedented in that Amin was the first minor to be convicted in the United States of providing material aid to IS.

"He's deeply remorseful," Flood told reporters after the hearing, adding that his client has been cooperating with law enforcement.

Under the Twitter handle @Amreekiwitness, Amin provided IS supporters with instructions on using the virtual currency Bitcoin to conceal financial donations to the radical Islamist group and the best way to encrypt their online exchanges.

The teenager also expressed support for jihad on his Al-Khilafah Aridat blog.

And he used what the FBI official leading the investigation called his "prolific online presence" to offer guidance to supporters seeking to travel to Syria to fight with Daesh .

The Justice Department said Amin facilitated travel for another young Daesh recruit, Reza Niknejad, 18, who traveled to Syria to join the group in January.

Niknejad was charged Wednesday in federal court in Virginia with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, conspiring to provide material support to Daesh and conspiring to kill and injure people abroad.

Flood described Amin as an honor student from a good family who was outraged by rights abuses under Syria's President Bashar Assad.

"Amin has sincere religious beliefs that led him into activity that violated US law," Flood said. "He had a bright future ahead of him and he's made some bad decisions that he's taking adult responsibility for."

- Daesh message reaching America -

"Around the nation, we are seeing ISIL use social media to reach out from the other side of the world," said John Carlin, US Assistant Attorney for National Security, using the acronym most frequently employed by Washington officials when referring to Daesh.

"Their messages are reaching America in an attempt to radicalize, recruit and incite our youth and others to support Daesh's violent causes," he said.

Carlin, in a statement, issued a warning to parents to closely monitor their kids' online interactions.

"This case serves as a wake-up call that ISIL's propaganda and recruitment materials are in your communities and being viewed by your youth," the federal prosecutor said.

"This challenge requires parental and community awareness and action to confront and deter this threat wherever it surfaces," he said.
Source: AFP