A North Carolina man was arrested on December 4 while attempting to board an overseas flight to join the Islamic State group, according to a recently unsealed federal complaint.
Alexander Justin White, a U.S. citizen from Durham, is facing charges for providing, attempting, and conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. His arrest followed a months-long investigation into numerous pro-IS messages that he allegedly sent to various users.
Known on social media as Sulaiman Al-Amriki, White reportedly posted pro-IS content multiple times from June to October 2024, which included propaganda videos associated with the organization. During this period, he engaged in discussions with users claiming to be from the Middle East and North Africa about his support for IS, expressing a desire to travel to Africa to join the group.
White lamented past missed opportunities to join IS, such as during a 2018 visit to Egypt, in his online conversations. He communicated frequently with an undercover FBI agent over several months, discussing his intentions to join IS and participating in a staged video call that he believed was with an IS commander’s spokesperson.
In his discussions with the agent, White expressed his readiness to be a mujahid, or “holy warrior,” and talked about fundraising for detained IS members and their families. After detailing his plans to travel abroad, he shared his itinerary, which included a flight from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to Rabat, Morocco.
To avoid raising suspicion, White purchased a round-trip ticket. On December 4, he arrived at RDU Airport with three bags, checked in for his connecting flight to Paris, and proceeded through security, before being arrested shortly after by authorities.
As the case is ongoing, a federal public defender representing White has declined to comment at this time.
