Vicksburg woman, 20, expected to plead guilty today to terrorism charge

Published 10:15 am Tuesday, March 29, 2016

A 2013 Warren Central High School graduate reportedly will plead guilty today to a federal terrorism charge.

Jaelyn Delshaun Young, 20, of Vicksburg, is expected to enter the guilty plea in federal court in Aberdeen.

Specifically, she will plead guilty to conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organization.

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She faces up to 20 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and lifetime probation.

Young and her fiancé, Mohammed Dakhlalla, 22, of Starkville, were arrested in Aug. 8, 2015, at the Golden Triangle Airport in Columbus. They had tickets to Istanbul.

The two reportedly had been planning for nearly a year to leave the U.S. for the Middle East. According to court records, the two had been planning for nearly a year to travel to Turkey, get married and then make their way to Syria.

Young, who was a sophomore chemistry major at Mississippi State and originally planned to become a doctor, allegedly offered to serve ISIS as a medic.

At Warren Central, Young was a honor roll student, a senior homecoming maid and a member of TEAM 456 Siege Robotics.

Dakhlalla, pleaded guilty March 11 to a similar charge and awaits sentencing.

Prosecutors have said Young, who converted to Islam while studying at MSU, prodded Dakhlalla into the plan.

Dakhlalla earned a psychology degree from Mississippi State in 2011.

He grew up in Starkville and is reported to be the son of a caterer who is also a prominent figure in Starkville’s Muslim community.

Lawyers for Young didn’t return a call from The Associate Press seeking comment on Monday. Young is the daughter of Leonce Young, who has been with the Vicksburg Police Department for 17 years and is a 21-year U.S. Navy veteran.