Florida man accused of lying to FBI about pledging support to ISIS

A Florida man was arrested and faces charges of lying to FBI agents about his support of the terrorist group ISIS, according to court records released earlier this month.

Records show that for several months during 2020, Moad Mohamed Benkabbou had expressed support for ISIS and discussed joining the group, which is considered a foreign terrorist organization.

According to the FBI, Benkabbou pledged his allegiance to ISIS in January 2020.

Benkabbou had spoken with others about traveling overseas to join ISIS and booked a plane ticket in August 2020 to do so, FBI agents said. However, an affidavit shows Benkabbou ultimately canceled the ticket.

During an international terrorism investigation by the FBI in August 2022, Benkabbou was interviewed by federal law enforcement about his support of ISIS, an indictment said.

The indictment states that Benkabbou denied speaking with others about ISIS, planning to join the terrorist group and pledging his allegiance to ISIS.

Benkkabou faces three counts of making a false statement to a federal agency. He pled not guilty Tuesday following his arrest, records show.

Source: clickorlando