A New York resident, Awais Chudhary, was sentenced to nine years in prison and 15 years of supervised release for attempting to provide material support to ISIS. The sentencing took place in the Eastern District of New York following Chudhary’s guilty plea.
Court documents reveal that in 2019, Chudhary pledged allegiance to then-ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and began planning attacks on civilians using a knife or bomb. He identified potential targets such as pedestrian bridges over the Grand Central Parkway and the Flushing Bay Promenade in Queens. Chudhary conducted reconnaissance at these locations and recorded videos of areas he intended to attack.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated, “Awais Chudhary pledged allegiance to a brutal terrorist organization and set out to kill American citizens. 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.”
FBI Director Kash Patel commented, “Awais Chudhary planned a horrific knife attack in the name of ISIS on civilians in New York, but his plan failed. 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.”
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York added, “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. Thanks to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, Chudhary was stopped before anyone was harmed.”
According to court filings, Chudhary sought advice from individuals he believed were ISIS supporters regarding weapons selection and methods for avoiding detection by law enforcement. He also shared an image from an ISIS propaganda magazine illustrating where on the human body victims should be stabbed.
Chudhary ordered supplies online—including a tactical knife, mask, gloves, and camera equipment—to record his planned attack with hopes it would inspire others supporting ISIS. Authorities arrested him while he attempted to collect these items from an online retailer’s locker.
Before plotting this specific attack, Chudhary contributed further by assisting another convicted ISIS member with translating propaganda materials into English aimed at recruiting English-speaking internet users.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr.; and Assistant Director Donald Holstead of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen H. Sise, Lindsey R. Oken, Andrew D. Reich (Eastern District of New York), along with Trial Attorney Kevin Nunnally (National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section), prosecuted this case.
