S.C.’s Goose Creek Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that a man from Goose Creek who was suspected of having ties to ISIS had been charged with lying to the FBI, destroying evidence, and lying during his citizenship process.
Federal authorities in Charleston detained 31-year-old Sudanese national Ala Aldeen Alshaikh after a grand jury handed a four-count indictment accusing him of concealing his loyalty to the Islamic State terrorist organization.
According to authorities, Alshaikh sought for U.S. citizenship in September 2021, but he denied ever having any affiliation with a terrorist group in his immigration interview. Prosecutors claim that he had actually made an online pledge of loyalty to ISIS just weeks prior, boasting of potential attacks, including rumors of a U.S. embassy.
A year later, when he got ready for his naturalization ceremony, Alshaikh allegedly reaffirmed the falsehood by signing documents once more denying ties to terrorism, according to the indictment.
Alshaikh, who has experience in the aviation sector, allegedly lied to an FBI agent in January 2025, saying he had never volunteered to share his knowledge with anyone, according to federal authorities. However, authorities claim that he covertly provided his aviation expertise to the Al-Bara Ibn Malik Brigade, a violent organization.
Prosecutors claim Alshaikh attempted to delete damning online exchanges after realizing he was being investigated.
If found guilty, he may now spend up to 20 years in prison. Alshaikh was arrested Wednesday morning, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary Gordon Baker has scheduled a detention hearing for September 19.
REMAIN IN THE LOOP
The FBI’s Columbia Joint Terrorism Task Force, federal prosecutors, and the Justice Department’s Counterterrorism Section are all involved in the case.
Officials emphasized that Alshaikh is presumed innocent unless proven guilty and that the charges are merely accusations.
