‘Violent extremist’ accused of plotting Bay Area mass shooting in name of Isis sentenced in Tampa
TAMPA, Fla. - A man prosecutors describe as a terrorist and an extremist was formally sentenced in a federal courtroom in Tampa on Thursday for planning what prosecutors call a Pulse nightclub-style massacre in the Bay Area.
In March 2020, Muhammed Al-Azhari was accused of plotting a mass shooting in the Bay Area in the name of Isis. However, federal agents stopped him before he could carry out the attack.
Federal prosecutors say they discovered an arsenal of weapons and his digital fingerprints on targets around the Bay Area.
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Defense attorney Anthony Rickman reviewed the case for Fox 13.
Muhammed Al-Azhari was accused of plotting a mass shooting in 2020.
"The court made it clear he wasn’t just an extremist, he was an extremist and a terrorist," explained Rickman.
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The FBI had been tracking him for years and finally arrested him in 2020.
Agents released some of the damning evidence against him that included his text messages that showed the carnage he planned to unleash.
Investigators found Al-Azhari's online messages.
In February 2023, Al-Azhari pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to the foreign terrorist organization known as Isis.
Under the plea deal, the government agreed to a sentence of 18 years in prison. On Thursday, federal judge Thomas Barber accepted the agreed-upon sentence.
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During the hearing, the federal prosecutor argued for a life sentence of probation, telling the court, a violent extremist doesn’t change overnight.
Muhammed Al-Azhari was being tracked by the FBI for years before he was arrested.
"The government made a clear case. This individual is a terrorist and extremist, somebody with the intent to cause mass murder in this country and in our own backyard," said Rickman.
Judge Barber agreed with the government and sentenced him to a lifetime of supervised release calling Al-Azhari, "A danger to the United States and its citizens. We must be protected from him for life."