Burke County, N.C. — Authorities have charged a North Carolina man with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic Sate of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which is a designated foreign terrorist organization.
A criminal complaint filed today in federal court charged Justin Nolan Sullivan, 19, of Morganton, North Carolina with one count of attempting to provide material support to ISIL, one count or transporting and receiving a silencer in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, and one count of receipt and possession of an unregistered silencer unidentified by a serial number.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, Acting U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose of the Western District of North Carolina, and Special Agent in Charge John A. Strong of the FBI’s Charlotte, North Carolina, Division.
“As alleged in the complaint, the defendant was planning assassinations and violent attacks in the United States and is charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIL and federal firearms violations,” stated Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “The National Security Division’s highest priority is counter terrorism and we will continue to pursue justice against those who seek to provide material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations.”
Reports indicate that Sullivan intended to purchase an semiautomatic AR-15 rifle at the Hickory Gun Show on June 20, 2015, with which he planned to kill a large number of U.S. citizens on behalf of ISIL.
According to the criminal complaint, an FBI undercover employee (UC) made contact with Sullivan on June 6, 2015, and Sullivan described himself as a “mujahid” and as a Muslim convert living in the eastern United States. The complaint also alleges that Sullivan discussed various terrorist attack concepts and how to obtain weapons at a gun show.
According to the FBI, Sullivan planned to carry out “minor assassinations” before engaging in a larger attack this month. Sullivan asked if the UC could make a homemade silencer which was delivered to Sullivan the day before his June 19 arrest.
Sullivan was taken in to custody, without incident, at his residence by the FBI, with assistance from the Hickory Police Department, the Burke County Sheriff’s Department, and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
The charge of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign organization carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charge of transporting and receiving a silencer in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The charge of receipt and possession of an unregistered silencer, unidentified by a serial number, carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $10,000.
