AKRON, Ohio — An Ohio man was arrested this week and is facing a criminal solicitation charge for allegedly trying to recruit other Muslims to kill members of the U.S. military.
Terrence McNeil, 25, was taken into custody on Thursday after being watched by the FBI, which states that he posted the names and addresses of 100 service members online, urging readers to murder them for Allah.
“O brothers in America, know that the jihad against the crusaders is not limited to the lands of the Khilafah, it is a world-wide jihad and their war is not just a war against the Islamic State, it is a war against Islam,” he wrote. “Know that it is wajib (necessary) for you to kill these kuffar (non-Muslims)!”
“And now we have made it easy for you by giving you addresses. All you need to do is take the final step, so what are you waiting for?” McNeil continued. “Kill them in their own lands, behead them in their own homes, stab them to death as they walk their streets thinking that they are safe…”
The FBI also reports that McNeil made numerous posts on social media in favor of ISIS or violence against Americans in general.
“Just thinking about getting martyred puts a smile on my face,” he wrote on Twitter in July.
“The only Muslims that come to the U.S. are ones that carry black banners looking to conquer,” he wrote in September.
A warrant was subsequently issued for his arrest.
“According to the allegations in the complaint, Terrence McNeil solicited the murder of members of our military by disseminating ISIL’s violent rhetoric, circulating detailed U.S. military personnel information, and explicitly calling for the killing of American service members in their homes and communities,” said Assistant Attorney General John Carlin in a statement.
“While we aggressively defend First Amendment rights, the individual arrested went far beyond free speech by reposting names and addresses of 100 U.S. service members, all with the intent to have them killed,” added Special Agent in Charge Stephen Anthony. “We will remain vigilant in our efforts to stop those who wish to support these despicable acts.”
McNeil’s case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Ohio and the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Nearly 50 ISIS sympathizers have been arrested nationwide this year alone.