(AP) — A Mississippi man who once tried to join the Islamic State group credited arresting FBI agents with saving his life as he was sentenced to eight years in prison Wednesday, telling a federal judge he didn't then understand what the Islamic State represented. U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock sentenced Muhammad Dakhlalla after he pleaded guilty in March to one count of conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organization. Prosecutors Wednesday said they agreed Dakhlalla was less at fault and deserved a lighter sentence than Young, who prosecutors have said prodded Dakhklalla toward joining the Islamic State and planned the pair's attempt to travel to Turkey. Authorities said the couple had contacted undercover federal agents posing as IS contacts in May, seeking online help in traveling to Syria. The 2015 psychology graduate of Mississippi State University faced up to 20 years in prison on the charge, but prosecutors recommended limiting the maximum sentence to 12 years as part of Dakhlalla's plea bargain. Defense attorney Greg Park told Aycock that a lighter sentence was justified, considering Dakhlalla's previously spotless record, as well as his acceptance of responsibility. Dakhlalla's father, a native of Bethlehem, West Bank, is a prominent figure in the college town of Starkville's Muslim community and an occasional prayer leader at the mosque across the street from the family's house.