A 21-year-old Jacksonville man has been handed down a 20-year prison sentence for his role in a terrorist plot.
Shelton Thomas Bell, a Jacksonville resident, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for conspiring and attempting to provide material support to terrorists. The Court also ordered him to serve a lifetime of supervision following his release from prison.
Bell pleaded guilty on March 19, 2014, to charges of conspiring to train and prepare as a combatant for overseas violent jihad. He was accused of planning to travel to the Middle East to join terrorist groups, including Ansar al-Sharia in Yemen.
According to court documents, Bell recruited a juvenile to join him in the plot, and they planned to travel to Israel and then make Hajj. However, their true intentions were to engage in violent jihad and kill others in Yemen and elsewhere.
Bell and the juvenile were detained by Israeli officials in September 2012 and deported back to the United States. They were arrested upon their return and charged with providing material support to terrorists.
U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, commented on the case, stating, ‘We must be vigilant in investigating and prosecuting United States citizens who seek to travel overseas to assist terrorists.’
Bell’s sentence marks a significant blow to those who would seek to harm innocent people through acts of terrorism.
Related Federal Cases
- Zubair Ahmed, Conspiracy to Provide Support to Terrorists, Ohio 2007 · Florida
- Thomas M. Jackson, Assault on Law Enforcement, Florida 2016 · Florida
- Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem, Conspiring to Provide Material Support to ISIL, Arizona 2016 · Florida
- Erick Mendoza, Bank Robbery, Florida 2024 · Florida
- Jordan Denzel Lewis, Armed Robbery, Florida 2022 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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