Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS

A New York man was sentenced today to 108 months in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, in connection with his efforts to attack civilians with a knife in Queens, New York.

Awais Chudhary, 25, of Queens, pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of New York to attempting to provide material support to ISIS. According to court documents, in 2019, Chudhary pledged his allegiance to ISIS's then-leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and began planning for a knife or bomb attack on behalf of the group. Chudhary identified targets, including the pedestrian bridges over the Grand Central Parkway and the Flushing Bay Promenade, where he intended to carry out the attacks. Chudhary conducted several reconnaissance trips to these locations and made video recordings of the areas he intended to attack.

"Awais Chudhary pledged allegiance to a brutal terrorist organization and set out to kill American citizens," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. "Our prosecutors have ensured that he will spend years behind bars for his crimes, and the Department of Justice will continue to protect the American people from all threats foreign and domestic."

"Awais Chudhary planned a horrific knife attack in the name of ISIS on civilians in New York, but his plan failed," said FBI Director Kash Patel. "The men and women of the FBI never lose sight of the threat posed by supporters of ISIS and other terrorist organizations. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to detect and stop violent plots and will work just as diligently with our Justice Department partners to make sure these criminals are held accountable."

"After consuming violent ISIS propaganda for more than a year, the defendant took real world steps to carry out a lethal terrorist attack in Queens, including scouting the location of his attack and analyzing when it would be the most crowded so he could inflict maximum slaughter," said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. "Thanks to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, Chudhary was stopped before anyone was harmed."

According to court filings, Chudhary sought guidance from people whom he believed to be ISIS supporters, including about what type of knife to use and how to prevent detection from law enforcement by not leaving "traces of finger prints [or] DNA." Chudhary also sent a screenshot of an ISIS propaganda magazine that included a diagram of the human body depicting where to stab victims with a knife.

In preparing for his attack, Chudhary ordered items online that he intended to use, including a tactical knife, a mask, gloves, and a cellphone chest and head-strap to help him record the attack, which he hoped would serve as inspiration to other ISIS supporters. Chudhary was arrested as he attempted to retrieve the items he ordered from an online retailer's locker in Queens.

Before planning his specific violent attack, Chudhary separately contributed to ISIS's violent aims to help recruit English-speaking internet users to the group's hateful cause. Working with another ISIS member who was separately convicted of material support charges, Chudhary assisted ISIS in its propaganda efforts by helping to translate some of the group's propaganda materials into English. See United States v. Carpenter, No. 21 Cr. 38 (KAC) (E.D. Tenn).

Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg of the Justice Department's National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Joeseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York, and Assistant Director Donald Holstead of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen H. Sise, Lindsey R. Oken, and Andrew D. Reich for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorney Kevin Nunnally of the National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.