Man from Florida arrested for creating and spreading Islamic State propaganda

A Florida man is behind bars after FBI agents say he attempted to provide “material support” to the terrorist organization the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, also known as ISIS.

According to a federal arrest affidavit, 23-year-old Jonathan Guerra – who went by the name Abu Zahr Al-Andalusi – caught the attention of the FBI for his role as the head of an unofficial media outlet for ISIS, which created and disseminated propaganda for the organization.

Guerra, who federal officials say is Cuban born and a naturalized U.S. citizen living in Lehigh Acres, would recruit other ISIS sympathizers with “foreign language abilities” in order to translate propaganda and instructional content, the affidavit says.

Federal prosecutors say, since the FBI’s investigation into Guerra began in October 2019, he had communicated with three different online covert employees, and pursued two of them romantically. During their communication, Guerra revealed his true identity, which included images of himself, and his role in spreading propaganda for the terrorist organization

Guerra was accused of creating several videos promoting ISIS, including a “Call to Islam” video that featured the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables.

Source: NBC Miami