A federal judge in New York City has handed down an 18-year jail term to Muhammad Masood, a licenced Pakistani doctor working on a work visa in the United States. Masood was convicted of trying to provide material support to the terrorist group Daesh.
Masood, a resident of Rochester, was sentenced to 216 months in prison, which is the equivalent of 18 years, followed by five years of supervised release for his role in attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organisation, as stated in a press release issued by the US Department of Justice.
During his time in Rochester, Minnesota, on an H-1B visa, Masood worked as a research coordinator at a medical clinic, according to court filings.
Official statement
According to the official statement, between January 2020 and March 2020, Masood engaged in operations with the intent of joining the militant group and aiding terrorist acts within the United States.
“Masood used an encrypted messaging application between January 2020 and March 2020 to facilitate his travel overseas to join a terrorist organisation,” the statement read.
It was also revealed that Masood wanted to join Daesh and had pledged loyalty to the terrorist group and its leader. He also expressed a desire to conduct “lone wolf” terrorist acts within the United States.
The 21st of February, 2020, he bought an airline ticket from Chicago, Illinois, to Amman, Jordan, with the intention of continuing on to Syria. However, on March 16, 2020, he was unable to enter Jordan because of travel limitations related to COVID-19.
The Pakistani doctor had travel history
After rethinking his strategy, Masood booked a flight from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, where he hoped to connect with someone who could help him board a cargo ship bound for Daesh territory.
Masood travelled from Rochester to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) on March 19, 2020 so that he could board a trip to Los Angeles. However, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) intercepted him when he arrived at the airport.
On August 16 of last year, Masood pleaded guilty to trying to provide material assistance to Daesh. After a lengthy investigation by the FBI’s JTTF, Senior Judge Paul A. Magnuson handed down an 18-year jail term on Friday.
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