Two Tucson men who tried to become ISIS fighters have bee sentenced in federal court to prison terms followed by deportation, federal prosecutors say.
Ahmed Mahad Mohamed, 27, and Abdi Yemeni Hussein, 26, both citizens of Somalia who were living in Tucson at the time of their 2019 arrest, were sentenced last week.
Judge Jennifer G. Zipps sentenced Mohamed to 132 months in prison and Hussein to 96 months in prison, a U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Both men who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to provide material support and resources to the designated foreign terrorist organization, Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), are to be deported after serving their prison terms, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Communication between Mohamed and Hussein from at least August 2018 until their arrest in July 2019, showed they discussed and planned their desire to travel to Egypt and fight for the ISIS in the Sinai Peninsula, the news release says.
The men sold their cars and purchased plane tickets from Tucson to Cairo. On the morning of July 26, 2019, the pair checked in for their flight at the Tucson International Airport, went through security screening and walked to the departure gate, the release said.
Mohamed was carrying approximately $10,000 that he and Hussein planned to use for travel expenses and to buy firearms. Once in Egypt, they intended to smuggle themselves into the ISIS-controlled area, the release said.
They were arrested by the FBI prior to boarding the flight.
