DETROIT (AP) — A court has upheld a five-year prison sentence for a Detroit-area man who talked about making attacks on behalf of the Islamic State group — a key decision that can serve as a precedent in other cases.
Khalil Abu Rayyan, 23, was convicted of gun-related crimes.
He wasn’t charged with terrorism and never attacked anyone but the judge who sentenced him said he couldn’t ignore Rayyan’s online fascination with terrorism.
A federal appeals court said Monday that Judge George Caram Steeh carefully used his discretion to come up with a “reasonable sentence.”
He apologized and noted he didn’t hurt anyone.
