A North Carolina man was charged with providing material support to ISIS for allegedly planning to travel to Morocco in December 2024 to join the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), according to federal court documents. He has been indicted.
Alexander Justin White, 29, of Durham, used social media, primarily Facebook and the encrypted messaging app (EMA), to “post in support of ISIS and jihad” and to report to FTO. He is said to have communicated with other ISIS supporters about his desire to participate.
Officials said White used the pseudonym “Sulaiman al-Amriki” in the communications and was unknowingly communicating online with an undercover FBI agent.
“White openly discussed his desire and intent to travel abroad to join ISIS with various individuals through Facebook and EMA,” the federal complaint states.
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Alexander Justin White, 29, of Durham, North Carolina, used social media to “post in support of ISIS and jihad” and said he and other ISIS supporters wanted to join the terrorist organization. He is said to have told them that he was there. (FBI)
Suspect's “many online conversations with various people and communications with suspect” [FBI confidential human source] and [FBI Online Covert Employee] “He demonstrated a long-standing intention and desire to join ISIS, prepared and attempted on December 4, 2024,” the complaint states, “he recognized that ISIS was designated as an FTO. “He clearly acknowledged that he was taking actions to avoid capture and repeatedly expressed concern about being captured by law enforcement and their efforts.” ”
During his conversation with the undercover agent, White said, “My heart starts pounding…” [from] “When I thought about traveling for ISIS, I got really excited.”
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Authorities say Alexander Justin White sent an undercover officer a video of himself expressing support for ISIS. (FBI)
In September 2024, an undercover agent asked White if he was “ok with killing U.S. military personnel and other U.S. citizens,” to which White replied, “…if it was my family, I would still fight back. …'' he is said to have replied. There are no US troops. [sic] love of one's country or anything else [sic]” according to the complaint.
The suspect reportedly said he had multiple firearms and knew how to use them. A photo included in the report shows White firing a gun at a shooting range in July 2024.
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Alexander Justin White allegedly stated that he owned multiple firearms and knew how to use them. A photo included in the report shows White firing a gun at a shooting range in July 2024. (FBI)
White also appears to have said he had vivid dreams of fighting alongside agents for ISIS.
The suspect had been communicating with undercover agents online for months about plans to go to Morocco to support ISIS. He put the plan into action late last year, booking a flight from Raleigh to Rabat, Morocco, on Dec. 4, authorities said.
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Federal agents arrested him that day as he checked into a flight, went through security at Raleigh-Durham International Airport and “attempted to board the flight,” court documents say.
FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee at the Hart Senate Office Building at the U.S. Capitol on December 5, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Authorities said they seized nearly $7,000 and multiple firearms from White's Durham apartment the day he was arrested.
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White's arrest came after outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray spoke. “60 minutes” In an interview Sunday, when asked about the Jan. 1 terrorist attack in New Orleans that killed 15 people, including the Texas-born attacker, ISIS supporters said they drew inspiration “from afar.” “This is the most challenging type of terrorist threat we face,” he said. Shamsud Din Jabbar.
“You're talking about guys like this who become radicalized in weeks, not years, and whose methods of attack are still very deadly but pretty crude,” Ray said. “If you think about the old adage of connecting the dots, you only have so much time to connect the dots.”
White's public defender, Chris LoCascio, said his office does not comment on pending litigation.
