U.S. citizen gets 20 years for joining Islamic State group

MIAMI (AP) — A U.S. citizen who moved his family to Syria to join the Islamic State terrorist group has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Court records show that Emraan Ali, a 55-year-old U.S. citizen born in Trinidad and Tobago, was sentenced Tuesday in Miami federal court. He pleaded guilty in November to conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. According to court records, Ali moved his family to Syria in March 2015. Prosecutors say he falsely told his children that they were going on vacation but actually intended to join IS. Ali and his 22-year-old son surrendered to Syrian Democratic Forces near Baghuz in March 2019, during the last sustained Islamic State group battles to maintain territory in Syria.