By Tiffany Williams –
Ahmad Khalil Elshazly, 25, of West Haven, Connecticut, pleaded guilty Wednesday at the United States District Court in Bridgeport, Connecticut to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
In September 2018, Elshazly, who is a U.S. citizen, expressed a desire to travel to Syria and the surrounding area to fight on behalf of ISIS.
In numerous conversations online and in person, he pledged allegiance to ISIS and its leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.
In October 2019, Elshazly sent a message pledging allegiance to the new leader of ISIS, saying “I pledge my allegiance…to the Khilafah of the Muslims Abu Ibrahim Al Husseini Al Hashami Al Qurashi”
On December, 2019, Elshazly paid $500 to a person he believed was an ISIS facilitator who would be able to smuggle him out of the U.S. to Turkey. He further believed that traveling to Turkey would enable him to connect with ISIS members overseas who, in turn, would assist him with traveling to ISIS within Syria.
On December 15, 2019, Elshazly was arrested after he arrived in Stonington, Connecticut, where he expected to board a boat to begin his trip. Elshazly has been detained since his arrest.
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