Sheffield Lake man gets 16 years for ISIS support

A Sheffield Lake man will spend the next 16 years in prison for providing material support to ISIS and other weapons charges, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Amir Said Rahman AlGhazi, 41, also known as Robert C. McCollum, was sentenced for one count of providing material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, as well as two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms, the release said.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman for the Northern District of Ohio and Special Agent-inCharge Stephen D. Anthony of the FBI’s Cleveland Division made the announcement June 20.

“The National Security Division is committed to identifying and prosecuting those who seek to provide material support to terrorist groups like ISIS,” Demers said. “I want to thank the prosecutors and our partners in law enforcement — including the FBI and its Joint Terrorism Task Force — who ensured that this defendant was held accountable for his crimes.”

“This case is a stark reminder that ISIS is more than an abstract threat,” Herdman said. “Through social media and other means, ISIS and groups like it seek to radicalize people of all backgrounds into its world of violence.”

“This case demonstrates law enforcement’s number one priority — to keep our communities and our nation safe,” Anthony said. “It is clear that no area is immune from the influence of ISIS and its supporters.

“We hope this case will serve as a strong message to others who may consider providing support to terrorists. The FBI and our Joint Terrorism Task Force partners are committed to identifying and stopping these individuals.”

Al-Ghazi, who changed his name last year, pledged his support to ISIS and Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi via social media in 2014.

From July 2014 to June 2015, Al-Ghazi made multiple statements trying to persuade others to join ISIS.

He also expressed his own desire to perpetrate an attack on the United States and had attempted to purchase an AK-47 assault rifle, according to the release.

Al-Ghazi has communicated with individuals he believed to be members of ISIS in the Middle East and took steps to create propaganda videos for ISIS, the release said.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Shepherd of the Northern District of Ohio, with assistance from Trial Attorney Erin Creegan of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, prosecuted the case.