ISIS Supporter Pleads Guilty to Terrorism Charges in Massachusetts

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Alexander Ciccolo in 2014 via Northern Berkshire District Court

BOSTON – An Adams man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Springfield in connection with a plot to engage in terrorist activity inspired by, and in the name of, ISIS.

Alexander Ciccolo, a/k/a Ali Al Amriki, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, one count of attempting to use weapons of mass destruction, one count of being a convicted person in possession of firearms, and one count of assaulting a nurse during a jail intake process by use of a deadly weapon causing bodily injury.

On July 4, 2015, Ciccolo received four firearms which he had ordered from a person who was cooperating with law enforcement, and who had been communicating with Ciccolo about his plans to engage in a terrorist act. Ciccolo was arrested immediately after receiving the firearms, which included a Colt AR-15 .223 caliber rifle, a SigArms Model SG550-1 556 rifle, a Glock 17-9 mm pistol, and a Glock 20-10 mm pistol. Ciccolo had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by more than a year in jail and therefore was prohibited from possessing firearms.

Ciccolo, a supporter of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, had spoken with a cooperating witness in recorded conversations about his plans to commit acts of terrorism inspired by ISIS, including setting off improvised explosive devices, such as pressure cookers filled with black powder, nails, ball bearings and glass, in places where large numbers of people congregate, like college cafeterias. Prior to his arrest, agents had observed Ciccolo purchase a pressure cooker similar to that used in the Boston Marathon bombings.

During a search of Ciccolo’s apartment after he was arrested, several partially constructed “Molotov cocktails” were recovered. These incendiary devices contained what appeared to be shredded Styrofoam soaking in motor oil. Ciccolo had previously stated that this mixture would cause the fire from the exploded devices to stick to people’s skin and make it harder to put the fire out.

Shortly after his arrest, while he was being processed at the Franklin County Correctional Center, Ciccolo stabbed a nurse with a pen more than 10 times, leaving a bloody gash on the top of the nurse’s head.

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