BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) - A Connecticut man accused of pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group and wanting to fight for it in Syria was ruled incompetent to stand trial Wednesday.
Kevin Iman McCormick, 27, of Hamden, suffers from a mental disease or defect and cannot understand the trial proceedings or help in his own defense, federal Judge Kari Dooley in Bridgeport said, citing a doctor’s analysis.
McCormick was returned to federal custody to receive treatment with the goal of restoring his competence, Hearst Connecticut Media reported.
McCormick was arrested last year and charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization.
Federal prosecutor Douglas Morabito and McCormick’s lawyer, Allison Near, agreed with the conclusions of the doctor’s report during Wednesday’s hearing.
McCormick was arrested at a small, private Connecticut airport as he tried to board a flight to Canada, where he intended to grab another flight to the Middle East, authorities said.
A concerned person who attends an Islamic center outside Connecticut informed the FBI in early October 2019 that McCormick had expressed to them a desire to travel to Syria and “fight for Allah,” according to an FBI agent’s affidavit.
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