Student Pleads Guilty to Supporting Terrorists

By Rose Cahalan in Blog on July 2, 2014 at 2:47 pm | No Comments

UT senior Rahatul Ashikim Khan pleaded guilty today in an Austin court to charges of providing material support to terrorists.

Khan, 23, was arrested at his Round Rock home last month. Authorities allege that he tried to recruit potential terrorists in an online chat room from 2011-12. Also charged with the same offense, and arrested as part of the same operation, was Austin man Michael Todd Wolfe, 23, who allegedly planned to travel to Syria for a suicide mission with an Al-Qaeda affiliate. Wolfe pleaded guilty last Friday.

According to the criminal complaint against Khan, in the chat room he referred to himself as a jihadi, discussed training and weapons, and indicated he was trying to recruit others to join his cause.

Khan could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.