A Pakistani doctor residing in the United States has been handed an 18-year prison sentence for attempting to provide material support to the terrorist organisation ISIS, media reports said on Saturday.The US Justice Department released a statement stating, “A Rochester man was sentenced today to 216 months in prison, equivalent to 18 years, followed by five years of supervised release for attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organisation.”The individual, identified as 31-year-old Muhammad Masood, had travelled from Rochester to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport with the intention of boarding a flight to Los Angeles, California. After checking in for his flight at MSP, he was arrested by the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force.Muhammad Masood, a licensed doctor from Pakistan gets 18-year jail in the US for planning lone wolf terrorist attacks in America, the ISIS-linked Islamist terrorist from Pakistan was formerly employed as a research coordinator at a medical clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, under an… pic.twitter.com/7BZt0jaiYU— Sonam Mahajan (@AsYouNotWish) August 26, 2023Arrested ISIS-linked Pakistani doctor wanted to conduct lone wolf attacks in USAccording to court documents, Masood was a licensed doctor in Pakistan and had previously worked as a research coordinator at a medical clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, under an H-1B visa.“Between January 2020 and March 2020, Masood used an encrypted messaging application to facilitate his travel overseas to join a terrorist organization. Masood made multiple statements about his desire to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS), and he pledged his allegiance to the designated terrorist organization and its leader. Masood also expressed his desire to conduct lone wolf terrorist attacks in the United States,” the statement read.The statement further revealed that on February 21, 2020, Masood purchased a plane ticket from Chicago to Jordans capital city Amman, with plans to proceed to Syria. However, his travel plans were disrupted due to Jordan closing its borders amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.“Masood then agreed to fly from Minneapolis to Los Angeles to meet up with an individual who he believed would assist him with travel via cargo ship to deliver him to ISIS territory,” the statement added.Last year, on August 16, Masood pleaded guilty to charges related to his attempt to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation. His sentencing took place on August 25 before Senior Judge Paul A. Magnuson.
