A Georgia woman who allegedly was a member of an online group that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and distributed “kill lists” identifying Americans they wanted their members to target has been charged with conspiring to provide material support to the ISIS.
Kim Anh Vo, 20, first became involved with the United Cyber Caliphate in April 2016 and participated in recruitment efforts to aid the group’s hacking abilities, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday. The group and its subsidiaries distributed ISIS propaganda and provided “kill lists” that included personal information of members of the State Department and the military.
Vo’s involvement with the group from April 2016 to May 2017 was related to recruiting more members to aid the group’s hacking attempts. Vo was responsible for recruiting members between January and February 2017 to craft a video threatening a New York nonprofit organization dedicated to countering the distribution of extremist ideologies online.
“You messed with the Islamic State, SO EXPECT US SOON,” a message in the video read.
The video also singled out the nonprofit organization’s CEO and said “we will get you.”
Separately, the United Cyber Caliphate disclosed a kill list on about April 2, 2017 that included the personal information of approximately 8,000 individuals. The list was accompanied by a link to a second video, which appeared to include a “depiction of the decapitation of a kneeling man,” according to the Justice Department.
“We have a message to the people of the U.S., and most importantly, your president Trump: Know that we continue to wage war against you, know that your counter attacks only makes stronger,” messages in the second video said.
Vo, who was arrested Tuesday, is charged with one count of conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. The crime comes with a maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars.
