Ahmed Mahad Mohamed and Abdi Yemeni Hussein, both Somali citizens residing in Tucson, Arizona, have been sentenced for their involvement in a conspiracy to travel to the Middle East with the intent to join ISIS. Chief United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps sentenced Mohamed to 132 months and Hussein to 96 months in prison. Both will face lifetime supervised release after serving their sentences, followed by deportation to Somalia.

The two men pleaded guilty on August 1, 2024, to charges of Conspiracy to Provide Material Support and Resources to ISIS. Their plan involved traveling from Tucson to Egypt with the ultimate goal of reaching ISIS-controlled territory in the Sinai Peninsula.

Beginning in late 2018 or early 2019, Mohamed expressed his intentions online, aiming to become "the beheading guy" and martyr himself for ISIS. He also mentioned that his friend Hussein shared similar aspirations. In 2019, they met in person to discuss these plans further. Hussein suggested that if they were unable to reach ISIS territory, they should consider attacking the White House.

By June 2019, Mohamed and Hussein began preparing for their journey by selling personal belongings and purchasing plane tickets from Tucson to Cairo. On July 26, 2019, as they prepared for departure at Tucson International Airport with $10,000 intended for travel expenses and firearms purchases, FBI agents arrested them before they could board their flight.

The investigation was led by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. The prosecution was managed by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona along with the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.