Federal and state indictments announced Monday shed more light on a case involving a 19-year-old Morganton man arrested last on summer on terrorism-related charges. The mass attack that Justin Sullivan planned never occurred, but state and federal authorities say Sullivan had already killed and robbed an elderly neighbor several months earlier to help finance his plans.
Justin Sullivan made no secret of his support for ISIS, according to the federal indictment. In 2014, he watched ISIS videos that showed beheadings. ISIS inspired him to convert to Islam in September of that year.
That December, according to the Justice Department, Sullivan stole his dad’s .22 caliber rifle and used it to kill 74-year-old John Clark, who lived a few houses down the street. The indictment says that Sullivan planned to spend about $600 on an AR-15 assault rifle and ammunition.
The money he had when the FBI arrested him – nearly $700 – came from robbing his murder victim, according to the federal indictment. The federal charges accuse Sullivan with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State. He is also accused of firearms charges and offering to pay an informant to kill his parents.
The district attorney for Burke County is prosecuting the murder case.
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