SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A former CIA employee who studies terror networks says a California man convicted of attempting to support the Islamic State does not have the attributes of an Islamic extremist.
Marc Sageman described Amer Alhaggagi at a sentencing hearing on Monday as an internet troll who talked about making bombs and conducting terror attacks in the San Francisco Bay Area, but took no real action.
Sageman evaluated Alhaggagi for the defense.
He said he did not consider Alhaggagi to be a terrorist.
The 23-year-old pleaded guilty in July to creating social media accounts for Islamic State supporters. Prosecutors say he boasted online about a series of attacks he wanted to commit on behalf of the Islamic State. They are seeking a sentence of 33 years in prison.
