Elvis Redzepagic, a 30-year-old U.S. citizen from Commack, New York, was sentenced to 200 months in federal prison for attempting to provide material support to ISIS and the al-Nusrah Front. The sentence, handed down by United States District Judge Denis R. Hurley in Central Islip, marks the end of a years-long federal investigation into Redzepagic’s efforts to wage violent jihad overseas.
Redzepagic pleaded guilty in April 2021 to one count of attempting to provide material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations. According to court documents, beginning in early 2015, he initiated contact with an individual he believed to be a commander of an ISIS-affiliated battalion in Syria. Intent on joining the fight, Redzepagic made multiple attempts to infiltrate war zones, first traveling to Turkey in July 2015 in a failed bid to cross into Syria.
Undeterred by border failures, Redzepagic shifted routes, traveling to Jordan in August 2016—only to be intercepted and deported by Jordanian authorities. FBI investigators later recovered Facebook messages in which Redzepagic defined “jihad” as fighting and dying for Allah, declaring his intent to “perform Jihad and join Jabhat Al-Nusra.” He ominously predicted a future where “people will only know to say Allahu Akbar.”
Forensic searches of his laptop exposed a digital trail of radicalization: ISIS nasheeds, including the so-called “ISIS Anthem” in English, and repeated visits to “Put hilafeta,” a Bosnian-language recruitment site targeting Balkan fighters for ISIS. The site served as a digital pipeline for extremists seeking to join the caliphate.
Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, called the sentence a hard-earned victory against homegrown terrorism. “Redzepagic pays a steep price for his misguided embrace of terrorism,” Peace stated. “This Office, together with our law enforcement partners, will remain vigilant in protecting the public from terrorist threats and in thwarting their violent attacks here and abroad.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Saritha Komatireddy and Artie McConnell of the National Security and Cybercrime Section, with support from Trial Attorney Stephanie Sweeten of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. The investigation was led by the FBI’s New York Field Office, with critical assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI Legal Attaché Office in Serbia, and Montenegro’s Ministry of Justice, Prosecutor’s Office, and Special Police Unit. E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 17-CR-228 (DRH).
RELATED: Elvis Redzepagic Sentenced to 200 Months for ISIS Support
Related Federal Cases
- Queens Man Gets 18 Years for ISIS Bomb Plot · New Jersey
- Hate-Fueled Threats: NYC Woman Targets Denver LGBTQ Spots · Colorado
- Bronx Man Nabbed in Dementia Patient Abduction · New York
- Bronx Shooter Gets 8 Years · New York
- Midtown Mayhem: Queens Shooter Pleads Guilty · New York
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
