Detroit-area man gets 14 years in prison for fighting for Islamic State

DETROIT — A Detroit-area man who was captured on a Syrian battlefield in 2018 fighting for Islamic State was sentenced Thursday to 14 years in prison.

Ibraheem Izzy Musaibli of Dearborn was convicted in January of providing support to a designated terrorist organization.

“For his betrayal of our nation and his fellow citizens, he is deserving of a long sentence," U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said.

Musaibli, 32, traveled to Yemen in 2015 and continued his research into Islamic State, including downloading propaganda from the group and a book on how to get into Syria, according to trial evidence.

“ISIS assigned him to a military fighting battalion, and Musaibli spent at least nine months fighting on the front lines,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Hank Moon said in a court filing.

Musaibli's sentence is far short of the 35-year term requested by prosecutors. Defense attorneys sought a 10-year prison term. Musaibli will get credit for five years spent in custody since being charged.

His lawyers said Musaibli was a troubled man who was “manipulated by propaganda” and turned out to be an ineffective Islamic State supporter.

"Mr. Musaibli saw himself as a failure. ... Like many young men looking for redemption, he thought heroic glory on the battlefield would earn him the respect of his family and others,” James Gerometta said in a court filing.