West Haven Man Arrested For Trying To Join ISIS: Feds

WEST HAVEN, CT — A West Haven man has been arrested after authorities say he was attempting to travel to the Middle East to join and fight for ISIS. Amhad Khalil Elshazly, 22, of West Haven, has been charged by a federal complaint with attempting to provide material to support ISIS, U.S. States Attorney for Connecticut John H. Durham announced.

Elshazly was arrested Sunday in Stonington where he was expecting to board a ship to travel to Turkey and transit to Syria to be with ISIS, according to authorities. He appeared in federal court in New Haven on Monday and was ordered detained.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to targeting and stopping those who wish to cause mayhem, both in the U.S. and abroad, before they are successful,” Durham said in a statement. “I thank the FBI’s JTTF and all the agencies involved in the lengthy investigation that culminated in yesterday’s arrest. Their work has saved lives.”

Beginning around Sept. 2018, Elshazly, a U.S. citizen, is accused of making numerous statements in person and through online apps of his desire to travel to Syria and the surrounding area to fight on behalf of ISIS. He stated in February that he had saved about $1,000 with the intention of using the money to travel to Jordan to transit to Syria to be with ISIS, according to authorities.

“It is further alleged that, in October 2019, during a meeting with other individuals, Elshazly made numerous statements supporting ISIS, including, ‘…they say, War has started and we are marching to it…..but all doors are closed, closed. I am talking to myself now, asking myself, How do I get there? How can I help Muslims? How can I do anything?’ officials wrote in a press release from the U.S. States Attorney’s office. “He further stated, ‘God willing! May this country [United States] burn the same way they burned Muslims! May they burn in fire at the end!’ Elshazly made these statements in a public venue. When he was asked to lower his voice when talking loudly, Elshazly proclaimed ‘I am not scared.’

“During the same meeting, it is alleged that Elshazly said, ‘…I want to go to the caliphate and fight there. I can kill maybe…like a hundred kaffir. I can kill them. A hundred kaffirs. If I do something here how many kaffirs could I kill? One, two, three and then I get shot and I die. It is more benefitting if I go there, I could kill more and will get more faithful rewards.’”

Elshazly is also accused of sending another person a series of YouTube videos this month explaining how various high-powered firearms and other weaponry work.

Authorities say that Elshazly arranged to travel to Turkey by ship because he was concerned about being stopped at an airport. He paid another person $500 for what he believed would be used to pay for a portion of his trip. Elshazly was arrested Dec. 15 after he arrived in Stonington, where he expected to board a boat to begin his trip.

“As alleged in the complaint, Elshazly was bent on supporting ISIS,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers said. “Worried that his efforts here would be too small and that he would be stopped at the airport, he planned to travel overseas aboard a container ship to join and fight for ISIS. The National Security Division is committed to identifying and holding accountable those who continue to seek to provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations.”

FBI Special Agent in Charge Turner said, “It is crucial the citizens of Connecticut, and across the country, know we at the FBI and our task force partners are unwavering in our work to successfully identify and disrupt potential terrorist activities, as this case demonstrates. Through nonstop intelligence gathering and great investigative techniques, we will continue to pursue those who seek to bring harm to U.S. citizens and dismantle potential terrorist actions wherever they may be.”

The charge of conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, according to officials.