An Ellicot City teenager who was due to attend Hopkins as a freshman this fall has been arrested for allegedly soliciting money for a would-be terrorist.
Authorities claim that the teenager, now 17, sought funds for 47-year-old Colleen R. LaRose, a Philadelphian woman who went by the online moniker ‘Jihad Jane' in her attempts to recruit Islamic terrorists to wage war against the West.
As a federally detained juvenile, the vast majority of public records relating to the case are sealed. The teenager is known to the public only as Mohammed K via an interview with his family in The Philidelphia Inquirer; The News-Letter has confirmed his identity but does not regularly publish the full names of juveniles awaiting trial.
Executive Director of Communications and Public Affairs Dennis O' Shea could only confirm that the student involved has withdrawn from the university. "The university had no knowledge of the charges whatsoever before the charges appeared," he said.
Mohammed K was 15 when he allegedly sought funds for LaRose; he was put into detention roughly one month ago. He graduated from Mount Hebron High School in 2011, with his name appearing repeatedly on the honor roll. The school declined to comment on Mohammed K's whereabouts.
The spokeswoman for the Howard County school system, Patti Caplan, said in an interview with The Baltimore Sun that the teen was "extremely strong academically." He was to be on financial aid at Hopkins.
It is not known whether Mohammed K actually received any money for LaRose, who may face life behind bars when sentenced.
She pleaded guilty earlier in February for providing support to terrorists and plotting to kill a Swedish cartoonist who offended Muslims when he depicted the Prophet Mohammed head on a body of a dog in a political cartoon.
Mohammed K is currently awaiting trial in Philadelphia, according The Baltimore Sun.
FBI Agents in Baltimore and Philadelphia could not be reached for comment.
In a Philadelphia Inquirer article published in August, Mohammed K's family members expressed unhappiness that their son had been arrested.
The family said that they had allowed FBI Agents to interview him and had not expected him to be detained.
The young suspect's attorney, Jeffrey M. Lindy of Philadelphia, could not be reached for comment.
Court documents remain sealed and government officials remain tight lipped.
The full scope of the prosecution's case against Mohammed K remains unknown.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The News-Letter.