20 years for man who tried to fight for Islamic State

Associated Press

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina man who pleaded guilty to trying to fight for the Islamic State group has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Outlets report a federal judge on Monday handed down that sentence for 20-year-old Zakaryia Abdin. It was the maximum possible time.

Abdin pleaded guilty in August to attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization. He was arrested at Charleston's airport in 2017 as he tried to board a plane for Jordan. Authorities say Abdin told an agent posing as an Islamic State recruiter he wanted to torture an American.

At age 16, authorities say Abdin talked about robbing a gun store to get weapons to kill soldiers.

He was arrested, pleaded guilty, and a parole board agreed to his early release after a year.