U.S. national sentenced for 20 years for supporting LeT

On Monday, a U.S. Court convicted a North Texas man to 20 years Jail term for providing material support to terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor sentenced Michael Kyle Sewell (18), who was arrested in Feb & pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge in May.

During the conviction, federal prosecutors introduced proof that Sewell’s offense was consistent with a long pattern of online statements supporting violent extremism.

He had posted many messages threatening to attack individuals & gatherings of people who he believed were opponents of his radical beliefs. Sewell also conducted internet searches suggesting that he was examining ways to carry out such assaults.

During a search of Sewell’s home after his arrest, agents found an AR-15 style rifle, multiple magazines & a number of knives in Sewell’s room.

According to Assistant Attorney General of National Security John C. Demers, Sewell conspired with another individual to provide material support to LeT & assisted his co-conspirator with his plans to travel abroad to join the terrorist organization.

This Case shows how an American citizen can be radicalized by a violent ideology based upon hate & how the actions of the FBI & our partners on the Joint Terrorism Task Force worked tirelessly to prevent violence here, & abroad. We cannot thank them enough for what they do to protect our community, said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox.

According to the Court documents, Sewell admitted to encouraging an individual identified in the documents as cc1 to join LeT.

Sewell provided the co-conspirator, who he spoke to on social media, with contact information for an individual he believed could facilitate the co-conspirator’s travel to Pakistan to join LeT.

Unbeknownst to Sewell & the co-conspirator, the facilitator was an undercover FBI agent. After giving the facilitator’s contact information to the co-conspirator, Sewell instructed him about how to present himself to the facilitator.

Sewell then communicated the facilitator to vouch for the co-conspirator’s plans & promised that he would kill the co-conspirator if he turned out to be a spy.

He also told the facilitator that he would recruit more fighters to join LeT. The co-conspirator continued to interact with the facilitator & made settlements to travel to Pakistan to join LeT.

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