Alexandria, Va. — Haris Qamar, 26, of Burke, Virginia, was sentenced today to 8 1/2 years in federal prison for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema, includes an additional 20 years of supervised release once Qamar completes his prison term.
Qamar pleaded guilty on October 17, 2016, to charges stemming from a months-long interaction with an FBI confidential witness (CW). Court documents reveal that in May 2016, Qamar discussed ISIL’s need for surveillance photos of high-value targets in Washington, D.C., including the Pentagon and multiple Arlington landmarks. He provided the CW with a specific list of locations to photograph, reportedly for use in an ISIL propaganda video meant to incite lone-wolf attacks in the nation’s capital.
On June 3, 2016, a surveillance video captured Qamar riding in a vehicle with the CW as they drove past proposed targets. During the drive, Qamar was recorded saying, “bye bye DC, stupid ass kufar, kill’em all.” The two met again on June 10, returning to Arlington to take additional photos. The recordings and transcripts, laid out in the statement of facts, depict Qamar as deeply immersed in the ideology and brutality glorified by ISIL.
In multiple conversations, Qamar expressed a disturbing fascination with violence. He told the CW he “loved the bodies, blood, and beheadings,” and recalled with approval the sound of a spinal cord tearing during a Kurdish man’s execution. He claimed he could personally carry out a slaughter and detailed how he would do it. When the CW expressed doubt about suicide bombings, Qamar responded, “I believe in it 100 percent,” praising lone-wolf attackers as true martyrs for Islam.
Qamar’s radicalization ran deep. On September 16, 2015, he tweeted a prayer asking Allah to “give strength to the mujahideen to slaughter every single US military officer,” following the release of an ISIL “kill list” that included U.S. service members. He told the CW that several listed military homes were near his residence and noted the presence of undercover police vehicles. He also admitted attempting to join ISIL in 2014, purchasing a ticket from Newark to Istanbul—though his parents stopped him by confiscating his passport. He said he fought with his father, calling him a traitor to Islam, and claimed that if his passport were returned, “I’m done, I leave.”
In a related development, Soufian Amri, 32, of Falls Church, and Michael Queen, 28, of Woodbridge—both acquaintances of Qamar—were arrested Wednesday on charges of obstructing justice and conspiring to provide false statements to federal investigators. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon D. Kromberg, with support from Trial Attorneys Justin Sher and Andrew Sigler of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. The announcement was made by Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Division.
Related Federal Cases
- Haris Qamar Pleads Guilty to Aiding ISIL Attacks in D.C. · Washington
- Nicholas Young Indicted for Aiding ISIL, Obstruction · Washington
- Jeff Crews, ‘Fro,’ Gets 10+ Years for Racketeering, ID Theft · Maryland
- Ulises Garcia-Razo Gets 10 Years for Cocaine Conspiracy · Virginia
- Honduran Kingpin Arnulfo Fagot-Maximo Gets 33 Years for Cocaine Empire · New York
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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