Sheffield Lake Man Pleads Guilty to Supporting ISIS

SHEFFIELD LAKE, OH — A Sheffield Lake man is facing at least 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to supporting ISIS.

Amir Said Rahman Al-Ghazi, 39, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Al-Ghazi pledged allegiance to ISIS and its leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi on social media in 2014. Since then Al-Ghazi has attempted to radicalize others to join ISIS by creating propaganda videos. Al-Ghazi also expressed interested in obtaining weapons in order to carry out an attack. From July 2014 to June 2015, Al-Ghazi was in contact with individuals he believed to be members of ISIS in the Middle East, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

For acting U.S. Attorney Carole S. Rendon, Al-Ghazi's case is an example that domestic terrorism is a real threat.

"“This case is a stark reminder that ISIL does not present an abstract threat,” Acting U.S. Attorney Rendon said. “Through social media and other means, ISIL and groups like it seek to radicalize people of all backgrounds into its world of violence.”

Al-Ghazi changed his name from from Robert C. McCollum last year. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23.

[Photo courtesy of Cuyahoga County Jail via the Associated Press]