American who joined Islamic State gets prison term reduced

By MATTHEW BARAKAT
Associated Press

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The first American to be convicted in a U.S. jury trial of joining the Islamic State had his prison term reduced from 20 years to 14 years after an appeals court ordered a new sentencing hearing. Mohamad Khweis was convicted back in 2017 of providing material support to terrorists, as well as a weapons charge. He traveled to Islamic State-controlled territory, even obtaining an official IS membership card. But he left after a few months and surrendered to Kurdish forces. In 2020, an appeals court tossed out the weapons charge and ordered a new sentencing. The 14-year term imposed at Tuesday’s hearing in Alexandria, Virginia, fell between the 20 years prosecutors sought and the defense request he be released with time served.