A Texas man pleaded guilty on Monday to providing material assistance to the Islamic State in a plot to attack the White House and Trump Tower in New York City, federal prosecutors announced on Tuesday.
The Justice Department said Jaylyn Christopher Molina, 22, who self-identifies with the Islamic alias Abdur Rahim, admitted in a San Antonio, Texas, court to conspiring with 34-year-old South Carolina resident Kristopher Sean Matthews, also known as Ali Jibreel, to distribute terrorist propaganda and bomb-making instructions through an encrypted group chat.
Molina also actively recruited potential ISIS members in addition to discussing a potential attack on the White House, Trump Tower, the New York Stock Exchange, and several high-profile law enforcement headquarters, the Justice Department said.
Molina, who prosecutors said sought to join Syrian insurgents overseas, was found with 18 pornographic images of children when authorities conducted a mid-September search of his home. Molina pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to ISIS and one count of receiving child pornography, each of which comes with a penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Molina remains in federal custody pending sentencing.
Matthews, who faces 20 years behind bars, admitted to his crimes in a November court appearance and is set to be sentenced in March. He was quoted by prosecutors in September as saying the terrorist attacks on U.S. landmarks would award them “rock star status baby,” and he indicated that their plot “could be Netflix worthy.”
