(DailyDig.com) – International charges and trials are complex and often challenging to manage. Yet, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is still looking to bring an ISIS narrator to trial on US soil. Officials say the man led the terrorist group’s English language unit.
Thirty-eight-year-old Canadian-born Mohammed Khalifa moved to Syria in 2013, where he almost immediately joined forces with ISIS. A US-backed and Kurdish-led militia known as the Syrian Democratic Forces later captured the man during an operation in 2019.
Breaking News: Mohammed Khalifa, a Canadian man who narrated two infamous videos from ISIS to recruit Westerners, was arrested by the FBI this week and secretly whisked back to the U.S. to face federal prosecution. https://t.co/hDObbhgVle
— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 2, 2021
On Saturday, The US Justice Department issued a press release announcing that the FBI finally had Khalifa in their custody. He faces charges under 18 US Code § 2339B, which makes it illegal to support designated foreign terrorist organizations.
Acting US Attorney Raj Parekh noted that Khalifa not only fought for the Islamic State but also promoted the group, expanded recruitment efforts, and spread videos of their politically motivated murders. One of the films showcased the beheading of American journalist James Foley and other westerners.
Despite the difficulties involved with processing Khalifa through the system, he will answer the charges shortly. The “voice behind the violence” faces the potential of spending the rest of his life in jail. It isn’t yet clear if prosecutors intend to push for this maximum penalty.
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