A 19-year-old Harrisburg resident appeared in federal court Thursday on charges of conspiring and attempting to provide material support to the jihadist militant group the Islamic State.
Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz, a U.S. citizen, is alleged to have used social media “to spread ISIL propaganda and to seek support for the terrorist group” and to have conspired with others to send travelers to Syria to “become ISIL fighters,” the complaint said, using an acronym for the Islamic State.
The two-count complaint against Aziz was unsealed Thursday before his appearance before Magistrate Judge Martin C. Carlson of the Pennsylvania Middle District at 4:30 p.m. in the federal building downtown.
The government believes Aziz may have been planning an attack in the U.S., after a Nov. 27 search of his residence, in the 1700-block of Fulton Street, produced a backpack containing “numerous high-capacity weapons magazines, ammunition, a knife, and other survival items,” the complaint says.
The complaint alleges Aziz used at least 57 Twitter accounts to disseminate Islamic State propaganda and posted a link to the names and addresses of 100 members of the U.S. military, calling for violence against them.
It also claims Aziz used his Twitter accounts and other electronic communication on “at least three occasions” to assist people seeking to travel to join the Islamic State as fighters.
Aziz told the judge he understood the charges and accepted the appointment of two assistant federal public defenders, Lori Ulrich and Heidi Freese, to represent him.
He wore a long-sleeved gray T-shirt, flip-flops, and loose pajama-style pants that were cut off at mid-calf, revealing the cuffs locked around his ankles. He spoke softly, at one point prompting Judge Carlson to ask him to be louder so the court reporter could hear him.
Carlson scheduled a combined preliminary and detention hearing for next Wednesday, Dec. 23, at 3 p.m. The government said a grand jury that meets each Wednesday may hear the complaint that day and determine whether to issue an indictment, in which case there would be no preliminary hearing.
The judge said that the case was “international in scope” and involves an “array of complexities” for Aziz’s lawyers, who reviewed the felony charges against their client for the first time Thursday.
The charges carry a sentence of up to 15 years, a fine up to $250,000 and a three-year probationary period, Carlson said.
“These charges are a testament to the perseverance and dedication of those who stand watch over our nation and a clear message that those who support terrorism—will face justice,” U.S. Attorney Peter Smith said in a statement.
