SANTA ANA, Calif. – A former California college student has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for trying to aid the Islamic State group.
City News Service says 25-year-old Muhanad Badawi was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Santa Ana.
Badawi was convicted earlier this year of conspiracy to aid a foreign terrorist organization and other crimes.
Authorities say Badawi and Nader Elhuzayel concocted a scheme for Elhuzayel to fly to the Middle East to fight for the Islamic State. They say Badawi lent him his debit card to buy a one-way plane ticket.
While in custody, Badawi stopped eating and dropped from 140 to 109 pounds before a judge ordered him force-fed last December.