The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Wednesday that it has pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and sentenced a Florida man to 18 years in prison and supervised release for life.

Muhammad Momtaz Al-Azhari, 26, is described as “an American citizen who has spent most of his life abroad and has developed dogmatic Islamist/Salafist beliefs.” Department of Justice statement. After being released from prison in Saudi Arabia, Al-Azhari was deported to the United States in 2018, where he reportedly “is serving time on charges of supporting terrorism in Syria.” (Related: Authorities arrest American teenager, accused of fundraising for ISIS)

Muhammad Momtaz Al-Azhari, the ISIS ally who planned the Tampa Bay raid, pleaded guilty earlier this year to trying to provide guns and money to ISIS. https://t.co/6jwSV5G49f

— Paul Paglia (@JrSoulPtrl) July 13, 2023

After his deportation, Azhari appeared to have assisted the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in preparing an attack in the Tampa Bay area, the statement said. Al-Azhari also reportedly spoke favorably of ISIS, consumed its propaganda, and ultimately pledged allegiance through Islamic oaths.

He also reportedly began collecting various firearms and was eventually arrested in May 2020 by undercover agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for illegal possession of a firearm and an unregistered silencer. .

The sentence against Al-Azhari follows the sentence given to a Houston, Texas man on June 29 for similar charges.

Khan Serkan Damlalkaya, 23, was reportedly sentenced to 13 years and 9 months in prison and supervised release for life for attempting to provide material aid to ISIS. ANOTHER DOJ STATEMENT.

“In addition to wanting to join ISIS, Damlalkaya has also provided information to ISIS supporters about the use of machetes, handcrafting automatic weapons, and how bombs are made and used,” the statement said. rice field.