Brooklyn Ivy League student and ISIS recruit repents, gets probation

A former Ivy League student from Brooklyn who joined the Islamic State in Syria in 2014, then repented, was given a probationary sentence Thursday in Brooklyn federal court after telling the judge his time with the terror group was a big mistake.

“I wanted good and I saw nothing but evil,” the man, identified in court papers as “John Doe,” now in his late 20s, told U.S. District Judge Jack B. Weinstein.

The man came from Bangladesh as a 1-year-old. Prosecutors credited him with making his way out of Syria, surrendering to American authorities and providing valuable cooperation against the terror group, as well as working to persuade other potential recruits to change course.

He served 21 months in prison after surrendering and more jail time would run the risk of leaving him “embittered,” the judge said, imposing a 10-year term of probation instead, in line with a recommendation for leniency from prosecutors who praised his conversion.

“I don’t think incarceration is required, but long-term supervised release is because of the danger you pose,” Weinstein said. “I think it will protect the general public more than a long or lifetime of incarceration. . . . In my opinion you will be doing much more for society with the sentence imposed.”

The man pleaded guilty to providing material support to the Islamic State, and receiving military training from a terrorist organization, and could have faced up to 25 years in prison. At a Wednesday hearing, Weinstein heard from experts about signs that a terrorist conversion is sincere.

Source: newsday