US Islamic State Sympathizers Share Commonalities

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A recent report reveals that 90% of the 71 Americans charged as Islamic State sympathizers since March 2014 are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

The George Washington University published “ISIS in America: From Retweets to Raqqa,” which found that a majority of those charged were men in their mid-twenties. Of those, 27% allegedly planned to attack domestically.

Even more striking is the fact that they were active on social media, using three types of Twitter accounts: nodes, amplifiers, and shout-out accounts.

Though the researchers were able to find commonalities among the 71 sympathizers, the report said, “Their motivations are equally diverse and defy easy analysis.”