WASHINGTON (AP) – An Ohio man who prosecutors say professed online support for the Islamic State has been charged with soliciting the killings of U.S. service members.
Federal prosecutors say Terrence McNeil, 25, of Akron, reposted names and addresses of members of the military and called for online followers to take the “final step” and kill them.
McNeil appeared Thursday in federal court in Ohio on a charge of solicitation of a crime of violence. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had a defense lawyer.
In announcing the case, federal authorities maintained that McNeil’s actions went far beyond First Amendment freedom-of-speech rights.
The Justice Department has prosecuted dozens of Islamic State supporters in the last year, mostly for providing material support to the terrorist organization.