American convicted of terrorism says FBI saved his life

NEW YORK (AA) – An American man convicted on terrorism charges on Wednesday credited the FBI with saving his life.

Bureau agents arrested Muhammad Dakhlalla, 22, at an airport in Columbus, Mississippi, in 2015 before he was able to depart for Istanbul with his then fiancee, Jaelyn Young. The couple intended to travel to Syria to join the Daesh terror group.

Dakhlalla was sentenced Wednesday to eight years in prison and 15 years of probation after pleading guilty in March to conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organization. Young was sentenced Aug. 11 to 12 years in prison.

Dakhlalla said he was radicalized watching Daesh videos online, claiming that he failed to understand what the group represented.

Prosecutors said Young, who converted to Islam while at university, convinced Dakhlalla to travel to join Daesh under the guise of a honeymoon.