A Virginia high school student pleaded guilty Thursday to helping a classmate travel to Syria in hopes of joining ISIS.
Authorities say 17-year-old Ali Shukri Amin admitted to helping 18-year-old Reza Niknejad of Prince William County travel to Syria to join the group in January. FBI Assistant Director Andrew McCabe said that after taking Niknejad to the airport, Amin delivered a letter and thumb drive to Niknejad's family informing them that they would likely never see him again.
Amin and Niknejad sometimes used code words to communicate, Northern Virginia Bureau Chief Julie Carey reported. "Syracuse" meant "Syria," "basketball" meant "jihad" and "basketball team" meant "jihadist organization."
Amin was arrested at his home in the D.C. suburb of Manassas in March.
"He gained over 4,000 followers on Twitter and sent over 7,000 tweets as part of his campaign to help ISIL," U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Dana Boente said.
Niknejad made it to Syria, Boente said. Charges against Niknejad were unsealed Thursday in Alexandria, alleging he conspired to provide material support to terrorists and conspired to kill and injure people abroad.
Amin also admitted to using Twitter to provide advice and encouragement to the Islamic State and its supporters, according to a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement. Through his Twitter handle Amreekiwitness — Amreeki translates to "American'' - Amin provided instruction on how to use Bitcoin, a virtual currency, to mask funds going to the group and helped supporters seeking to travel to Syria to fight with the group, court documents said.
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"Amin made ISIL propaganda accessible to western supporters and provided justification for violent acts, including the beheading of journalists," McCabe said.
McCabe said the case illustrates the danger of online propaganda. Amin was "brought into this seductive, destructive ideology by the material he consumed online," McCabe said. Amin was a sophisticated user of social media and that he also helped people make anonymous financial contributions to the Islamic State using Bitcoin, authorities said.
Defense lawyer Joseph Flood said Amin was motivated by sincere religious beliefs and outrage at the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
"It's part of the modern era of the Internet,'' Flood said. "Sometimes people feel frustrated in their inability to effect change against a government committing atrocities ... He was blogging on the Internet. It's as simple as that.''
Before his arrest, Amin was an honor student Osbourn Park High School in Manassas, where Niknejad also was a student.
"He takes adult responsibility for what he did, but we can't lose sight of the fact he is a child," Flood said.
Juveniles rarely face charges in the federal system, and the case remained under seal for several months while prosecutors navigated the process to have the charges moved into adult court.
Amin faces a maximum of 15 years in prison when he is sentenced Aug. 28.
Prince William County School officials said Thursday that Amin's actions are not a reflection of the school system.
"“It’s important for our community to know that Osbourn Park High School is a safe, diverse, and respectful place where students learn, mature, and excel," a statement from the school system read.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story indicated that sentencing would be held Thursday, June 11. Amin's sentencing will be held Aug. 28.
