A man in Texas has pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State.
Kaan Sercan Damlarkaya, 20, attempted to join ISIS in 2017, communicating online about the plans. He also told individuals he thought were part of the terror organization that he wanted to travel to Syria or Afghanistan to fight alongside the group. Damlarkaya said that if he couldn’t make it to the Middle East to fight, he would conduct an attack in the U.S. against non-Muslims, noting that it was his “dream” to die as a martyr.
In addition to discussions about fighting for ISIS, Damlarkaya provided information to supporters about how to manufacture explosives using triacetone triperoxide, warning the people he was communicating with to “take safety seriously while you make this.”
Damlarkaya also spoke about using a machete for attacks. He said he could purchase a “GIANT machete for $15” and added that “a lot of us are poor … or we don’t have experience. So not all of us can get a gun or make explosives, but we can afford to buy a $15 knife.”
When police raided his home, they found a machete near his bed.
Damlarkaya’s sentencing is set for Sept. 30. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
