Actions

Brownsburg man to plead guilty to terrorism charge for attempts to join ISIS

Posted at 6:12 PM, May 23, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-23 19:08:31-04

INDIANAPOLIS -- A Brownsburg man has agreed to plead guilty to attempting to aid a terrorist organization over his plans to travel to the Middle East to join ISIS.

Akram Musleh was 18 in June 2016 when FBI agents raided his Brownsburg apartment with a warrant for his arrest.

Musleh, the FBI said, had at that point booked or attempted to book several on-way flights to Iraq and Turkey, and was preparing another attempt to join Islamic State fighters via Morocco.

The FBI also said Musleh had "conducted extensive internet searches on explosive materials, including: dynamite, flash powder, explosive precursors, instructions on constructing explosive devices and explosive chemical recipes." An agent conducting surveillance on Musleh reportedly observed him shopping for pressure cookers at the Brownsburg Walmart.

READ MORE | FBI: Brownsburg man tried to join Islamic State

Last week, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Southern Indiana filed a plea agreement in the case, stating Musleh had agreed to plead guilty to one count of attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

The plea does not include a sentencing agreement, meaning Musleh could potentially face up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

Musleh appeared in the United States Courthouse in Indianapolis on Wednesday for a change of plea hearing. A sentencing date had not yet been set.

MORE FROM THE CRIME BEAT | Indianapolis sets all-time homicide record for third year in a row MAP: Indy's most dangerous neighborhoods | The Night the Sky Caught Fire: The Untold Stories of Richmond Hill | Convicted child molester reveals how he selected & groomed his victims | Teens killed man over weed and a pair of Air Jordans, police say | MAP: 2017 Indianapolis homicides