A 25-year-old man from Akron, Ohio, who allegedly expressed support for the Islamic State was arrested on federal charges for soliciting the murder of U.S. military members.
The Department of Justice announced the arrest of Terrence McNeil in a news release Thursday. The Ohio native faces one count of solicitation of a crime of violence.
According to the affidavit in the case, McNeil publicized his support for the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIL or ISIS) on social media. At the end of September, he posted a file on his Tumblr account that featured photos of 100 U.S. military members along with their respective names, addresses, and military branches.
The file, a GIF, read in part, "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’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Cleveland is currently investigating the case.
"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," Assistant Attorney General John P. Carlin said in a statement announcing the charges.
"ISIL and its followers continue to use social media in an attempt to incite violence around the world, including in the United States. The National Security Division’s highest priority is counterterrorism and we will use all of our tools to disrupt threats and acts of violence against our military members and their families."
U.S. Attorney Steven M. Dettelbach of the Northern District of Ohio, who also announced the charges, said the United States will not tolerate such threats on its servicemembers.
"As this nation honors our veterans, we must make clear that we will not tolerate threats of violence against our servicemembers. This defendant is charged with urging harm to our men and women in uniform and will now answer for those threats," Dettelbach stated.