Maryland man charged with receiving $8,700 from ISIS for 'operational purposes'

On Monday, federal prosecutors announced that a 30-year-old Maryland resident, Mohamed Elshinawy, had been arrested Friday and charged with accepting at least $8,700 from Islamic State operatives to plan and carry out an attack in the U.S. The FBI first interviewed Elshinawy over the summer, after they uncovered a $1,000 wire transfer from Egypt, but at the time, court documents say, Elshinawy lied about where the funding had come from, then when confronted with evidence it came from ISIS, said he was trying to "scam some money" from the terrorist group. The feds did not believe his story.

According to an affidavit filed by FBI special agent David Rodski, Elshinawy and an unidentified childhood friend in Egypt began chatting online in Arabic in February to discuss their mutual support for ISIS. Elshinawy, born in Egypt, declared himself a "soldier of the state" and told his friend "his soul was over there with the jihadists and that every time he saw the news, he smiled," the affidavit says. After Elshinawy pledged his allegiance to ISIS, militants in Egypt and Syria allegedly sent him small amounts of money via PayPal, Western Union, and other means, with instructions to use it for "operational purposes."

Federal prosecutors say they haven't linked Elshinawy to any specific plot, but Assistant Attorney General John Carlin said the suspect "received money he believed was provided by ISIL in order to conduct an attack on U.S. soil." Elshinaway made his first appearance in federal court in Baltimore on Monday, and was charged with providing material support to ISIS, obstruction, and making false statements, among other charges. If convicted on all charges, he faces more than 30 years in prison. Elshinaway's court-appointed attorney, Joseph Balter, noted that the case is "in the very early steps," and said he hopes "he public will withhold judgment in this case as the process is allowed to play out."

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