Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari, 26, was sentenced this week for planning a shooting in Tampa, Florida. Judge Thomas Barber determined on Thursday that Al-Azhari, an ISIS supporter, was considered a danger to the country, and sentenced him to 18 years in prison. According to the plea deal, after he is released from Prison he will be under supervision for the rest of his life.
Al-Azhari pleaded guilty in February to having tried to give material support to ISIS, which is considered a foreign terrorist organization. He was first investigated by the FBI in 2008 following his release from prison in Saudi Arabia. As he is a U.S. citizen he was then returned to the U.S. after his imprisonment for supporting a terrorist organization in Syria.
In 2020, he started preparing for the attack in Tampa and tried to find the best location for the mass shooting. He also attempted to obtain the required firearms, a fully automatic rifle, and also rehearsed how he would carry out the attack and what he was going to say following the shooting in order to support ISIS.
Al-Azhari stated that he wanted to avenge the Islamic and ISIS fighters who had been imprisoned as well as fight back against the U.S. for having a military presence in the Middle East.
Anthony Rickman, an attorney, told FOX 13 that the government had brought forward a clear case of terrorism and extremism revolving around an individual that had been planning a mass shooting in the country.
