YORK, South Carolina (AP) — A South Carolina teenager who authorities say was attracted to the Islamic State group and who was plotting to kill U.S. troops in North Carolina has been sentenced to five years in juvenile prison on a state gun charge, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
Officials told media outlets the 16-year-old is an American citizen whose family is from Syria. They didn’t release his name. The prosecutor said the boy was plotting with a Muslim militant from North Carolina to rob a gun store near Raleigh, North Carolina, with plans of killing soldiers as revenge for U.S. military action in the Middle East.
Solicitor Kevin Brackett said that because of the teen’s age and the lack of a terrorism law in South Carolina, the only charge prosecutors could pursue was possession of a weapon by a minor. The teen was “wholeheartedly sincere in his beliefs, and we are very concerned for the safety of the community and the country,” Brackett said.
“He had a plan to randomly shoot American soldiers.” Brackett said a videotaped police interview with the teen, which wasn’t shown in court, was disturbing. “How he behaved on that video, which is what I told the court, is what caused me so much concern,” Brackett said.
The teen’s mother and uncle also spoke to the court, saying the boy was a good youngster who believed in the laws of the U.S. and didn’t mean any harm.A South Carolina teenager who authorities say was attracted to the Islamic State group and who was plotting to kill U.S. troops in North Carolina has been sentenced to five years in juvenile prison on a state gun charge, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
Officials told media outlets the 16-year-old is an American citizen whose family is from Syria. They didn’t release his name. The prosecutor said the boy was plotting with a Muslim militant from North Carolina to rob a gun store near Raleigh, North Carolina, with plans of killing soldiers as revenge for U.S. military action in the Middle East.
Solicitor Kevin Brackett said that because of the teen’s age and the lack of a terrorism law in South Carolina, the only charge prosecutors could pursue was possession of a weapon by a minor. The teen was “wholeheartedly sincere in his beliefs, and we are very concerned for the safety of the community and the country,” Brackett said.
“He had a plan to randomly shoot American soldiers.” Brackett said a videotaped police interview with the teen, which wasn’t shown in court, was disturbing. “How he behaved on that video, which is what I told the court, is what caused me so much concern,” Brackett said.
The teen’s mother and uncle also spoke to the court, saying the boy was a good youngster who believed in the laws of the U.S. and didn’t mean any harm.A South Carolina teenager who authorities say was attracted to the Islamic State group and who was plotting to kill U.S. troops in North Carolina has been sentenced to five years in juvenile prison on a state gun charge, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
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