US-based Pakistani doctor sentenced to 18 years jail for supporting Daesh

Muhammad Masood, a 31-year-old Pakistani doctor residing in the US on a work visa, has been given an 18-year prison term for his involvement in attempting to offer assistance to the terrorist group Daesh.

The US Department of Justice issued a press release stating that a man from Rochester has been sentenced to 18 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his endeavor to provide support to a foreign terrorist organization.

Court documents reveal that Masood previously worked as a research coordinator in a medical clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, operating under an H-1B visa.

The official statement explains that Masood’s actions during the period from January 2020 to March 2020 indicate his efforts to affiliate himself with the militant group and contribute material aid towards carrying out terrorist activities in the US.

Within the mentioned timeframe, Masood utilized encrypted messaging to aid his plans to travel abroad and join the terrorist organization. The statement also highlights that Masood expressed his intention to become part of Daesh, pledging his loyalty to the group and its leader. Masood even voiced a desire to carry out lone wolf attacks within the United States.

In a specific incident, on February 21, 2020, Masood acquired an airline ticket from Chicago, Illinois, to Amman, Jordan, with the intent of further traveling to Syria from there.

However, due to travel restrictions imposed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, his plans were disrupted on March 16, 2020. Subsequently, he altered his itinerary and decided to fly from Minneapolis to Los Angeles.

Masood’s aim was to meet an individual who he believed would assist him in arranging travel through a cargo ship to reach the territory controlled by Daesh.

On March 19, 2020, Masood journeyed from Rochester to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) to catch a flight headed to Los Angeles, California. However, upon his arrival at the airport, he was apprehended by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).

Masood admitted his guilt on August 16 of the preceding year for his attempt to provide material support to Daesh. In light of completed investigations conducted by the FBI’s JTTF, Senior Judge Paul A. Magnuson imposed an 18-year prison sentence on him.