A Harrisburg man pled not guilty on Wednesday to charges of providing material support to the terrorist organization the Islamic State, the day after a federal grand jury in Scranton approved the criminal complaint against him.
Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz, 19, faces two counts for allegedly aiding the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, primarily through the use of dozens of Twitter accounts and other digital media over a one-and-a-half-year period beginning in July 2014.
The charges carry a combined maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, $500,000 in fines and three years of supervised release at the end of any prison term.
Aziz, appearing for the second time before Chief Magistrate Judge Martin C. Carlson of the Pennsylvania Middle District, wore a white-and-orange jumpsuit and black flip-flops. As he entered the courtroom he exchanged a brief glance with family members, giving a slight smile before being directed to sit with his attorneys.
He told the judge he understood the charges against him and accepted the assistance of the two public defenders, Lori Ulrich and Heidi Freese, assigned to him.
Wednesday’s court appearance was brief, consisting of Aziz’s arraignment and a hearing on his detention until trial. Advocating for Aziz’s detention, U.S. Attorney Daryl F. Bloom told the court the state’s evidence was “extremely strong,” saying the government’s case was supported by Aziz’s own words.
Aziz’s attorneys did not oppose his detention Wednesday, but they asked the court for permission to revisit the matter in the future. Ulrich challenged the state’s case by saying Aziz was a young man with no criminal history who was advocating for a cause as an individual, not providing material support to terrorists.
Bloom also said Aziz posed a flight risk, pointing to a desire he expressed online of traveling to the Islamic State and alleging he had aided others trying to do so. Ulrich countered that Aziz had no passport and no money and posed no risk of fleeing.
The government alleges Aziz used at least 57 Twitter accounts to disseminate Islamic State propaganda and that he posted a link to information with the names and addresses of 100 members of the U.S. military, calling for violence against them.
The criminal complaint claims he used social media “to spread ISIL propaganda and to seek support for the terrorist group” and conspired with others to send travelers to Syria to “become ISIL fighters.”
It also claims Aziz may have been planning an attack in the U.S., after a November search of his home produced what Bloom called a “go-bag” containing high-capacity weapons magazines, ammunition, a modified knife, a thumb drive, a head wrap and various over-the-counter medications.
Aziz’s attorneys challenged the state’s characterization of those materials Wednesday, saying the container was not a “go-bag” but a standard backpack and that it was not illegal for Aziz to possess any of the items inside.
Aziz also had no gun that could fire the ammunition in the bag, they said.
Carlson, in ordering Aziz’s detention, said he agreed that the state’s case was strong and noted that a grand jury had found the evidence sufficient to return an indictment. He set jury selection for Aziz’s trial for Feb. 2 at 9:30 a.m.
