ISIS Wannabe Alleges Entrapment by Feds

An East Elmhurst man who pleaded guilty last year to plotting to carry out lone wolf terrorist attacks at multiple locations in Queens in 2019 is now saying he was entrapped by the government – and federal agents are withholding materials that prove undercover agents encouraged him to support ISIS,

Awais Chadhary pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, at his arraignment at Brooklyn Federal Court on August 30, 2019.

Chadhary said he was targeting pedestrian bridges over the Grand Central Parkway, including a rampage attack near a pedestrian bridge at Ditmars Boulevard and 27th Avenue in East Elmhurst, prosecutors said.

According to the charges, in the days before his arrest in August 2019, Chadhary shared online conversations with a police officer posing as an ISIS wannabe, where he admitted he had pledged allegiance to the terrorist organization. “Awais Chadhary planned to kill innocent civilians on behalf of ISIS and record the bloodshed in the hope of inspiring others to commit attacks,” prosecutors said.

FBI agents kept an eye on Chadhary as he filmed potential sites along the Flushing Promenade, where he had chosen to carry out the carnage, prosecutors said. They included the World’s Fair Marina and a Dunkin’ Donuts shop located in a gas station on the Grand Central Parkway.

Chadhary told FBI agents in the chat room that he was considering dropping “bucket bombs” on vehicles on the Grand Central Parkway from a pedestrian bridge. He told agents he chose the locations because they had “easy escape routes and more space” for his Razor scooter – his chosen getaway vehicle, prosecutors said.

Chudhary shared his attack plans with the agents, sending one agent an ISIS diagram of the human body that showed where it was best to plunge a knife into a victim, federal authorities said. At one point, he sent a text message to an FBI agent saying, “May Allah not turn our hearts away, or make us ever doubt or hesitate,” according to prosecutors.

Chadhary also exchanged text messages with an undercover FBI agent about an online retailer where he could purchase a “tactical knife” to use in the attacks. He told the agent he preferred to use a knife because explosive materials drew too much attention from law enforcement, prosecutors said. He was 19 years old when federal agents and the NYPD entered his home on a court-approved warrant in August 2019, where they found incriminating evidence on his cell phone, prosecutors said.

FBI agents arrested Chadhary on August 26, 2019, when he went to pick up the knife, “a 420 High Carbon Stainless Steel Fixed Blade Survival Tactical Knife, a cell phone chest and head strap, tactical lightweight assault cargo pants, a black face mask and a pair of Hard Knuckle Full Finger Tactical Gloves from an online retailer,” prosecutors said. “Awais Chadhary carefully planned, conducted reconnaissance, picked a target and was in the process of obtaining a weapon,” NYPD officials said. “All he had left to do was strike.”

Chadhary was also hoping to live stream the carnage, federal authorities said. He had shared documents with the FBI agents featuring “Places to Strike,” “Knives to Avoid,” and the “Ideal Knife,” prosecutors said.

Chadhary was charged with attempting to provide material support for ISIS at his arraignment in Brooklyn Federal Court on August 30, 2019.

“Awais Chadhary has admitted to planning to carry out a lone wolf in Queens against innocent civilians in an embrace of ISIS’ murderous cause,” U.S. Attorney Breen Peace said following Chadhary’s guilty plea. “Thanks to the Joint Terrorism Task force, (his) efforts to commit deadly violence on behalf of ISIS were thwarted, lives were saved, and he now awaits sentencing for his heinous crimes.”

In a hearing last month at Brooklyn Federal Court, Chadhary’s attorneys said federal agents handed over logs from a large chat room and smaller chats with federal agents but failed to turn over chat logs from a medium-sized group that encouraged Chadhary to speak with the undercover agents.

According to court papers, Chadhary’s guilty plea last year before a magistrate judge in Brooklyn Federal Court has not formally been accepted.

Chadhary has not withdrawn the guilty plea for several reasons, as his attorneys pursue a motion to dismiss the indictment on the grounds that federal prosecutors violated the Brady Rule, which requires the government to disclose any evidence that may benefit the defense prior to trial, according to the court papers.

Federal prosecutors said the government did not withhold relevant evidence in the case and would respond to the allegations in detail as soon as Chadhary’s attorneys file the motion.

“Mr. Charhary has admitted to providing material support from American soil to terrorists based overseas,” NYPD officials said. “He is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Pakistan who abandoned the country that took him in, and instead pledged allegiance to ISIS, and repeatedly and diligently promoted its violent objectives.”

“Clearly, the threat of ISIS-inspired terrorism remains very real, and members of the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force will never stop working to identify anyone aiding groups that consider out country their sworn enemy,” police officials said.

Chadhary is facing 20 years in prison at his sentencing.

Source » qgazette.com