(CNN) A Maryland man has been accused of receiving almost $9,000 to finance a terrorist attack in the United States, the FBI said Monday in a criminal complaint.
Mohamed Elshinawy, 30, of Edgewood was arrested Friday and charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, obstruction of an investigation and making false statements.
“According to the allegations in the complaint, Mohamed Elshinawy received money he believed was provided by ISIL in order to conduct an attack on U.S. soil,” Assistant Attorney General Carlin said in a statement.
A criminal complaint filed by the FBI said Elshinawy received about $8,700 for “nefarious purposes” from people overseas he believed were connected to ISIS. The money came through Western Union and PayPal accounts, the complaint said.
The criminal complaint said authorities became aware last June that someone in Egypt had sent $1,000 to Elshinawy.
The FBI had a “noncustodial interview” with Elshinawy on July 17. He first said his mother in Egypt sent the money, but upon being shown Western Union records admitted a childhood friend in Egypt connected him to an “unidentified ISIL operative” who sent the money, the FBI said. (ISIL is another way of referring to ISIS.)
He first said he’d received a total of $4,000, knowing it was intended to finance terrorist activities, but that he never planned to carry out an attack, the complaint said. In an interview a few days later, he suddenly remembered receiving another $1,200, the complaint said…
Read More: Maryland man charged with trying to aid ISIS – CNN.com
Join the conversation!
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, vulgarity, profanity, all caps, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain a courteous and useful public environment where we can engage in reasonable discourse.