North Carolina man sentenced to 15 years for assisting ISIS

North Carolina resident Erick Jamal Hendricks was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).

Hendricks was convicted last year of trying to recruit people on social media to train and conduct terrorist attacks in the United States on behalf of ISIS.

Amir Al-Ghazi, a man Hendricks recruited, was arrested in the Northern District of Ohio in June 2015. He was attempting to purchase an AK-47 assault rifle and ammunition from an undercover law enforcement officer.

Al-Ghazi said Hendricks tested his religious knowledge and commitment, and that he believed Hendricks’ group was responsible for a May 3, 2015, thwarted terrorist attack in Garland, Texas.

“Erick Jamal Hendricks represents the significant online ISIS threat that we face daily – a U.S. citizen that became radicalized online and attempted to recruit and train individuals to commit jihad, all while living in the United States,” Special Agent in Charge Eric Smith, of FBI’s Cleveland office, said. “The FBI urges the public to report information regarding individuals pledging their allegiance to ISIS or other identified terrorist groups. The FBI is pleased that Hendricks was stopped before he was successful and now will spend a significant amount of time behind bars.”