Caravanserai

US convicts Kazakhstani citizen of supporting IS

Caravanserai

NEW YORK -- A federal court in Brooklyn Wednesday (December 20) sentenced Kazakhstani citizen Akhror Saidakhmetov to 15 years in prison for "conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation", the "Islamic State" (IS), the US Department of Justice reported on its website.

"Saidakhmetov's plan was to become a battlefield soldier for IS, but should that not come to pass, he was prepared to bring the fight to our streets by attacking police officers and FBI agents in the US," said William Sweeney, Jr., assistant director-in-charge of the FBI's New York field office.

Saidakhmetov bought a ticket to fly from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City to Istanbul, departing on February 25, 2015, according to investigators.

At the airport he received about $1,600 "from a co-conspirator" to cover his expenses, including the purchase of a firearm after his planned arrival in Syria.

"Saidakhmetov was arrested while attempting to board the flight to Turkey," according to the report.

"Following completion of his sentence, Saidakhmetov will be removed from the US," the court decided.

Do you like this article?

0 Comment(s)

Comment Policy * Denotes Required Field 1500 / 1500