Ahmed Mohammed El Gammal, an Arizona resident, was convicted today in Manhattan federal court on multiple terrorism charges for his role in helping a New York college student join ISIS in Syria. After a three-week trial before U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos, a jury found El Gammal guilty of providing material support to ISIS, conspiring to provide such support, aiding the receipt of military-type training from the terrorist group, and conspiring to receive that training. The verdict marks another federal strike against domestic enablers of international terror.
Prosecutors say El Gammal wasn’t just a sympathizer—he was an active facilitator. Beginning in at least April 2014, El Gammal used social media to openly glorify ISIS, praise battlefield victories, and celebrate the declaration of the group’s self-proclaimed Caliphate. He declared support for jihad everywhere and infamously stated, “Beheadings have a magical effect.” He even threatened to join ISIS in Egypt to torture and whip Egyptians if the group ever gained a foothold there.
The case centers on his radicalization and recruitment of Samy El-Goarany, a 24-year-old New York City resident and college student. Minutes after seeing El Gammal’s pro-ISIS posts in August 2014, El-Goarany reached out. The two quickly began using encrypted messaging apps. Within hours, El Gammal sent El-Goarany a documentary detailing life inside ISIS territory and the military training offered at its camps—laying the groundwork for a deadly journey.
In October 2014, El Gammal traveled from Arizona to New York City and met El-Goarany in person. During that trip, he handed over the phone number of Ateia Aboualala, his contact in Turkey who would help smuggle recruits across the border into Syria. El Gammal also communicated with Aboualala directly, vouching for El-Goarany in coded messages, confirming he had “vetted” him and could be trusted by ISIS operatives.
By late January 2015, El-Goarany was on a flight to Istanbul. The moment he landed, he contacted Aboualala using the information El Gammal provided. He made it across the border into Syria, joined ISIS, and ultimately died fighting as a jihadist. Federal authorities say El Gammal’s actions directly enabled that path of destruction.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, who oversaw the prosecution, declared the verdict proof that civilian courts remain a powerful tool against terrorism. “An Ambassador for ISIS right here in America,” Bharara said, “El Gammal actively touted and glamorized ISIS online, ultimately recruiting and helping a New York college student travel to an ISIS camp in Syria for military training. That New Yorker died waging jihad, and for El Gammal’s active role in sending him down that trail to terror, he now stands convicted of federal terrorism crimes.” Sentencing is scheduled for a later date.
RELATED: Arizona Man Convicted of Supporting ISIS in NY Court
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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