Aiding ISIL: Woodbridge Man Pleads Guilty

WOODBRIDGE, VA — On Jan. 15, a Woodbridge man got out of a cab at Richmond International Airport, checked in for his flight, cleared security and was arrested as he approached the departure gate.

On Friday, Joseph Hassan Farrokh, 28, pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization. On that morning in January, Farrokh was attempting to begin a trip to the Middle East to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, according to federal prosecutors.

For months, Farrokh had allegedly worked closely with another Woodbridge man, Mahmoud Amin Elhassan, 25, to avoid detection by law enforcement and join the terror group in the Middle East.

Farrokh also spent $600 to help Elhassan with his own trip to Syria at a later date. Elhassan was arrested soon after Farrokh was taken into custody.

"Both men spoke openly with each other about supporting ISIL and supporting violent jihad," prosectors claimed in a statement following Farrokh's plea.

On Oct. 2, Farrokh said he had no patience and wanted to go right away and “chop their heads,” a reference to brutal videos released by the terror group that shows captives being beheaded.

The men didn't realize they were being monitored and allegedly continued their planning, including discussions of Farrokh shaving his beard and flying out of Richmond to avoid closer scrutiny at D.C. airports, according to prosecutors.

Farrokh faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced on July 15, 2016.