A Knoxville, Tennessee, man was arrested last month after investigators said he led a pro-Islamic State publication and translated propaganda into English.
Benjamin Alan Carpenter, also known as “Abu Hamza,” 31, was jailed on March 24 following the outcome of a grand jury indictment, which charged him with attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and ISIS, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee announced Monday. Carpenter, a citizen of the United States, helmed Ahlut-Tawhid Publications, a media organization dedicated to promoting terrorist information in English, prosecutors said.
The 31-year-old corresponded with a man who he thought was an ISIS associate and subsequently provided a translation, attorneys for the state alleged. It was later revealed that the supposed terrorist militant was an undercover agent with the FBI.
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Carpenter faces up to 20 years in prison for the suspected offenses if he’s found guilty. His trial is set for June 1.
The case was investigated by the Knoxville Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Clinton Police Department, and the Knoxville Police Department.
In mid-March, U.S. special operations troops were deployed to Mozambique in response to a rising threat of ISIS abroad. The move comes as violence has spread across the African country, with over 670,000 people displaced so far by ISIS attacks centered on the mainly Muslim Cabo Delgado province.
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“The United States is committed to supporting Mozambique with a multifaceted and holistic approach to counter and prevent the spread of terrorism and violent extremism,” the U.S. Embassy in Maputo said at the time. “This approach addresses socioeconomic development issues as well as the security situation.”
