Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A former CIA employee who studies terror networks says a California man convicted of attempting to support the Islamic State does not have the attributes of an Islamic extremist.
Marc Sageman described Amer Alhaggagi at a sentencing hearing on Monday as an internet troll who talked about making bombs and conducting terror attacks in the San Francisco Bay Area, but took no real action.
Sageman evaluated Alhaggagi for the defense.
He said he did not consider Alhaggagi to be a terrorist.
The 23-year-old pleaded guilty in July to creating social media accounts for Islamic State supporters. Prosecutors say he boasted online about a series of attacks he wanted to commit on behalf of the Islamic State. They are seeking a sentence of 33 years in prison.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
