Men who live in Tucson plead guilty to charges of conspiring to support ISIS, federal prosecutors say

TUCSON, Ariz. - Federal prosecutors have announced that two men who live in the Tucson area have pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

In a statement released on Wednesday, officials with the U.S. Attorney's Office identified the two are 26-year-old Ahmed Mahad Mohamed and 25-year-old Abdi Yemeni Hussein.

"From late 2018 until their arrest on July 26, 2019, Mohamed and Hussein conspired with each other to travel to Egypt for the purpose of fighting for ISIS in the Sinai Peninsula," read a portion of the statement.

ISIS, as mentioned by prosecutors, refers to a terrorist organization named Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, which is also known as "Islamic State" or "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria."

"Beginning in at least August 2018, Mohamed sought out other ISIS supporters online, stating that he wanted to travel to ISIS-controlled territory to become ‘the beheading guy’ and martyr himself," prosecutors wrote. "Mohamed also stated that his only dream was to go to Syria, join ISIS, and ‘fight jihad,’ and he indicated that his friend, Hussein, also desired to travel to ISIS territory abroad."

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Prosecutors say by June of 2019, both Mohamed and Hussein started to make travel arrangements to join ISIS. On July 26, 2019, the two checked in for their flights at Tucson International Airport, and Mohamed was carrying about $10,000 that he and Hussein planned to use for travel expenses and for purchasing weapons.

"Once in Egypt, the defendants intended to smuggle themselves into the ISIS-controlled area of the Sinai Peninsula so they could work under the direction and control of ISIS," a portion of the statement reads. "Before Mohamed and Hussein could board their flight, the FBI arrested them."

Per the statement, Mohamed and Hussein is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 11.

"A conviction for Conspiracy to Provide Material Support and Resources to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both," prosecutors wrote. "Both defendants have agreed to a judicial order of removal and will be removed from the United States to Somalia following any term of imprisonment."