Ali Mohamad Kourani, Espionage, New York 2023

Ali Kourani, a/k/a “Ali Mohamad Kourani,” a/k/a “Jacob Lewis,” a/k/a “Daniel,” was found guilty on all eight counts in Manhattan federal court today for serving as a covert terrorist operative for Hizballah’s Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO), a shadowy unit tied to multiple international attacks. The jury’s verdict delivers a hard blow to the Iran-backed network that has long sought to infiltrate U.S. soil with sleeper agents trained in sabotage, surveillance, and attack planning.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman laid it bare: Kourani wasn’t just a sympathizer — he was recruited, trained, and deployed. From his base in New York, Kourani gathered intelligence on high-profile targets including JFK Airport and 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, the very building housing the courthouse where he now faces justice. His mission, according to trial evidence, was to help Hizballah’s external wing acquire weapons and lay the groundwork for future attacks on American soil.

Kourani, born in Lebanon, began his path to terrorism early — attending Hizballah-sponsored weapons training at just 16 years old. He entered the U.S. legally in 2003, later earning a Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering in 2009 and an MBA in 2013. But even as he built a civilian facade, he was deepening ties to the IJO, a covert Hizballah arm also known as the External Security Organization and “910,” responsible for deadly operations from Bulgaria to Cyprus.

In August 2008, Kourani applied for U.S. naturalization, lying under oath that he had no ties to terrorist groups. He became a citizen in April 2009 and was issued a U.S. passport — one he used to travel back and forth to Lebanon, meeting with IJO handlers. All the while, he concealed his role as a trained operative for an organization the U.S. has designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization since 1997.

The IJO has a bloodstained record: in July 2012, one of its operatives detonated a bomb near an airport in Burgas, Bulgaria, killing six and injuring 32. Other plots were foiled — bomb materials traced to a Chinese medical device company seized in Thailand and Cyprus, both linked to IJO cells. Kourani’s work fit this global pattern: surveillance, reconnaissance, and procurement — all under the radar of American law enforcement until now.

Kourani is scheduled to be sentenced on September 27, 2019, by the Honorable Alvin K. Hellerstein, who presided over the eight-day trial. The conviction marks a rare public dismantling of a Hizballah intelligence cell operating domestically — a reminder that the threat isn’t overseas, but sometimes hiding in plain sight, wearing a suit, carrying a passport, and walking past security checkpoints without suspicion — until the jury speaks.

Related Federal Cases