Ohio man pleads guilty to trying to provide support to Daesh

An Ohio man pleaded guilty on Thursday to trying to provide material support to Daesh, the US Justice Department said.

Aaron Travis Daniels, 20, of Columbus, was arrested 7 November as he tried to leave his city to travel to Libya to join the militant group, the department said in a statement.

A criminal complaint against him said Daniels sent $250 in January 2016 to an Daesh operative and had communicated his commitment to violent overseas jihad.

Daniels, known also as Harun Muhammad or Abu Yusef, pleaded guilty in US District Court in Columbus and faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced, officials said.

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“This case demonstrates how terrorist activities abroad can reach into our local communities,” US Attorney Benjamin Glassman said in a statement.

Daniels’ federal public defender could not be immediately reached for comment.

At the time of his arrest, Daniels was the latest in a string of people arrested in the United States over accusations they planned to join or help Daesh militants, who largely operate in Iraq and Syria.