Virginia man accused of sending money to ISIL remains behind bars following court appearance
WASHINGTON - Virginia resident Mohammed Chhipa will remain behind bars on terrorism support charges after appearing in federal court in Alexandria today.
Mohammed Chhipa, 33
Magistrate Judge John Anderson held that Chhipa, 33, could be a flight risk if he was released on bond and posed a threat to the safety of the community given prosecutors' allegations. Chhipa is accused of providing material support to a terrorist organization. Prosecutors say he sent over $188,000 overseas, much of that going to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
FBI raids apartment of Virginia man accused of sending money to ISIS women
An FBI raid in northern Virginia was caught on camera. The man that was arrested is accused of sending money to support ISIS.
The FBI raided Chhipa's home twice – once in Fairfax in 2019 uncovering instructions on how to build an explosive device and again in May 2023 resulting in his arrest. Prosecutors argued that Chhipa was a flight risk in part because they say he fled the country after the 2019 raid – taking multiple buses across the border to Mexico then onto Guatemala and Panama before flying to Germany and, ultimately, Egypt.
Chhipa's family appeared in court on Wednesday including his brother who offered to let Chhipa stay with him should he get released. The family also offered to post a bond for Chhipa's release, but Judge Anderson denied that request.