US arrests man linked to Islamic State group

The Justice Department says Hendricks, 35, used social media in his attempts to recruit prospects

WASHINGTON: US authorities arrested a North Carolina man Thursday on charges of attempting recruit people for terrorist attacks in the United States in support of the Islamic State group, the Justice Department said.

Among Erick Jamal Hendricks' alleged contacts was a gunman in the thwarted 2015 attack on a Texas exhibition of caricatures, the first attack on US soil that the Islamic State group claimed.



The Justice Department said Hendricks, 35, used social media in his attempts to recruit prospects, but instead was snagged by an undercover FBI employee.

He allegedly told one prospective recruit that he wanted to create a sleeper cell for attacks in the United States, according to the complaint.

Simpson and Soofi opened fire, wounding a security guard. Garland police returned fire and killed both attackers.

If convicted, Hendricks faces up to 15 years in prison under statutory rules, but the sentencing could be altered by the court, the department said.