KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Knoxville man accused of helping ISIS, the Middle East terrorist group, appeared in court Wednesday.
Benjamin Carpenter, 31, is accused of translating an ISIS execution video and officials said he was in contact with a known ISIS recruiter. Prosecutors also said he used his mother's computer issued from the University of Tennessee to write a blog post for a pro-ISIS website.
Carpenter said he would represent himself in court, and officials assigned him elbow counsel to help guide him through court proceedings. However, that counsel will not be involved in his defense.
Transcripts of his April 5 hearing show Carpenter lived with his mother in Knoxville for two and a half years before his March arrest. She testified he does not have a bank account and worked only 10 hours a week at a pet sitting service.