The Jewish Kid From New Jersey Who Became a Radical Islamist : NPR
helped change the way young Muslims were radicalized by spewing extreme Islamic propaganda on a YouTube channel.
Now al-Khattab, who was born Joseph Leonard Cohen and brought up in New Jersey and in Brooklyn in a Jewish home, tells NPR he made a big mistake and describes himself as a “failure.” He’s scheduled to appear in a federal court in Alexandria, Va., on Friday to be sentenced on terrorism charges.
The case is significant because Al-Khattab, now in his mid-40s, is one of the founders of a radical Islamist group called Revolution Muslim, which became a gateway for young jihadists in the U.S. looking to join violent Islamist groups overseas.
Back in October, al-Khattab pleaded guilty to using the RevMuslim website to “place persons affiliated with Jewish organizations … in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury.” And for doing so, he faces up to five years in prison.
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