According to federal court papers, a man from North Carolina has been accused of providing assistance to ISIS by intending to travel to Morocco in December 2024 to become a part of the foreign terrorist group (FTO).
The 29-year-old Durham resident, Alexander Justin White, allegedly utilized social networks such as Facebook and encrypted messaging apps (EMAs) to advocate for ISIS and holy war and to communicate with other ISIS sympathizers about his desire to affiliate with the FTO.
During these interactions, White, under the alias “Sulaiman Al-Amriki,” supposedly engaged in online dialogues with an undercover FBI agent, as stated by law enforcement.
“WHITE openly discussed his desire and intention to travel overseas to join ISIS with various individuals on Facebook and over EMAs,” a federal complaint states.
Federal agents arrested him that day after he checked into his flight, proceeded through a security checkpoint at Raleigh-Durham International Airport and attempted “to make his way to board the plane,” court documents state.
FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on Dec. 5, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Authorities said they seized nearly $7,000 from White on the day of his arrest and confiscated multiple firearms from his apartment in Durham.
White’s arrest comes after exiting FBI Director Christopher Wray told “60 Minutes” in a Sunday interview that ISIS supporters inspired “from afar” are “the most challenging type of terrorist threat we face” when asked about the Jan. 1 terrorist attack in New Orleans that left 15 people dead, including the Texas-born terrorist attacker, Shamsud-Din Jabbar.
“You’re talking about guys like this, who radicalize not in years but in weeks, and whose method of attack is still very deadly but fairly crude,” Wray said. “And if you think about that old saying about connecting the dots, there are not a lot of dots out there to connect. And there’s very little time in which to connect them.”
White’s attorney, Chris Locascio, could not immediately be reached for comment.
