ISIS Supporter In Akron Sentenced To 20 Years

AKRON, OH — An Akron man who supports ISIS and solicited the murder of U.S. service members has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Terrence McNeil, 24, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, a terrorist organization, multiple times on social media before distributing material urging people to attack U.S. military personnel.

In September 2015, McNeil reblogged a file on Tumblr with the banner "Islamic State Hacking Division," followed by "Target: United State Military" and "Lead: Adresses of 100 U.S. Military Personnel."

The text of the first file McNeil reblogged reads, "O Brothers in America, know that the jihad against the crusaders is not limited to the lands of the Khilafah, it is a world-wide jihad and their war is not just a war against the Islamic State, it is a war against Islam…Know that it is wajib (translated to “necessary”) for you to kill these kuffar! and now we have made it easy for you by giving you addresses, all you need to do is take the final step, so what are you waiting for? Kill them in their own lands, behead them in their own homes, stab them to death as they walk their streets thinking that they are safe…”

The file, a .gif, then loops dozens of photographs purportedly of U.S. military personnel, along with their names, addresses, and military branch.

The final image in the .gif loop is then a picture of a handgun and a knife with text that reads “…and kill them wherever you find them…”

“This defendant was dedicated to attacking members of the military here in the United States,” Acting U.S. Attorney David Sierleja said in a statement. “This kind of fanaticism is dangerous and will be aggressively prosecuted.”

McNeil posted other kill lists in late 2015, which again called on others to seek out and murder U.S. servicemen and women. (To stay up to date on local stories, subscribe to the Patch Cleveland Heights newsletter. As news breaks and the story develops, you will be the first to receive updates from Patch.)

Law enforcement says McNeil had detailed bomb-making instructions in his possession and had been researching the price of guns online before he was taken into custody.

McNeil pleaded guilty earlier in 2017 to five counts of solicitation to commit a crime of violence and five counts of making threatening interstate communications. The sentencing was announced Wednesday by Sierleja, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Dana Boente and Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony of the FBI’s Cleveland Division.

“It is reassuring knowing that Terrence McNeil will spend a significant amount of time behind bars for the crimes he committed. The FBI will continue to aggressively defend First Amendment rights, however in this case, McNeil went far beyond free speech by reposting names and addresses of 100 U.S. service members, all with the intent to have them killed,” said Anthony. “The FBI will remain vigilant in our efforts to stop those who wish to support these despicable acts.”

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