Virginia man faces sentence for trying to help Islamic State

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Virginia man caught trying to help the Islamic State group during an FBI sting last year is asking for a prison term of five to six years.

The request from lawyers for 26-year-old Haris Qamar of Burke would be significantly less than the 20-year maximum recommended under federal sentencing guidelines. Prosecutors have only urged a long sentence of unspecified length.

Qamar used variations of the handle “New Era Jihadi” on social media to promote Islamic State propaganda. Later, he met with an FBI informant who convinced Qamar to buy Google gift cards that were purportedly to be used to help the Islamic State.

Qamar also took photographs of D.C.-area landmarks for what he thought would be an Islamic State video.

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