North Carolina Man Gets 20 Years for Attempt to Provide Support to ISIS Terror Group

A former sheriff's deputy and a National Guard aspirant was sentenced on Thursday to 20 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State, or ISIS, group based in the Middle East.

Donald Ray Morgan, 44, of Rowan County, North Carolina, had pleaded guilty to the charges months earlier.

Morgan, who was also a former military academy student and bodybuilder, became involved in radical Islam two years ago and tweeted radical messages under a fake Arabic name, according to NBC News. In one of his tweets, Morgan pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and "told 'brothers' in Iraq that he was coming to join them," according to The Daily Mail.

Court documents showed that between January to August last year, Morgan attempted providing support and resources to ISIS, or ISIL as referred to by U.S. authorities.

In one occasion, he unsuccessfully failed to travel from Lebanon to Syria to join ISIS. He also used social media and an interview with an international journalist to express his support to ISIS and violent activities.

"Morgan attempted to travel to Syria in order to provide material support to ISIL," said Assistant Attorney John General Carlin. "The sentence in this case demonstrates that we will continue to bring to justice those who engage in this conduct, and that protecting the nation against these threats remains one of our highest priorities."

F.B.I. Special Agency John Strong said Morgan "proved himself to be a threat to national security."

"He traveled overseas with intentions to join the violent terrorist group, ISIL in Syria. One of the F.B.I.'s highest priorities is to stop American citizens who support terrorist organizations and ensure they are held accountable for their actions," he said.

According to court documents, Morgan possessed and later sold an assault rifle in January 2012 after having been convicted of a felony in 1997.

He was arrested last Aug. 2 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on a federal indictment for possession of a firearm by a felon.

In an interview with NBC News, Morgan said he was attracted to ISIS because "someone has to defend Islam."

He said the "push" to join ISIS "came from being mistreated by the people around me who didn't share the views I had."