ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina man accused of plotting U.S. terror attacks with a member of the Islamic State group has pleaded guilty to a terrorism charge.
Federal officials said in a news release that 20-year-old Justin Sullivan of Morganton pleaded guilty Tuesday in Asheville to one count of attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries. A sentencing hearing hasn’t been scheduled, although the release says both sides agree a life sentence is appropriate.
U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose said Sullivan admitted in court that he planned mass shootings in North Carolina and Virginia.
An August indictment said Sullivan spoke with Junaid Hussain in June 2015 via social media about making a video of a terrorist attack in the U.S. to be used by the militant group.
