US

Utah Man Pleads Guilty To Posing As ISIS Leader To Help Potential Terrorist

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A Utah man pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to potential ISIS members he believed were planning a terror attack, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.

Murat Suljovic, 23, admitted to corresponding with a person he thought was a follower of ISIS while living in Salt Lake City, according to the DOJ. Suljovic thought this person, referred to as “Person A,” was interested in carrying out an attack on behalf of ISIS along with a “Person B.”

Suljovic said he pretended to be an ISIS leader online and believed that he convinced Person A and Person B of his leadership position, according to the DOJ. Suljovic gave Person A and Person B advice on how and when to plan a potential terror attack.

23-year-old Utah man pleads guilty to pretending to be ISIS leader, sending attack planning materials to followers.https://t.co/UO85n40KGO

— ABC4 News (@abc4utah) November 12, 2020

Suljovic admitted to providing a video tutorial on bomb-making to Person A so that they could disseminate the information as training material for Person B to execute an attack, according to the DOJ.

Suljovic admitted to knowingly attempting to provide material support to ISIS by giving the video to Person A, the DOJ announced. He was charged in May with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Suljovic agreed to surrender equipment he used to communicate with members of ISIS as part of his plea agreement, according to the DOJ. He faces 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, pending formal sentencing.