Kaan Sercan Damlarkaya, Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS, Texas 2019

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Attempt to Support ISIS Lands Houston Man Behind Bars

A Houston man has been sentenced to 13 years and nine months in prison for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Kaan Sercan Damlarkaya, 23, pleaded guilty to the crime in July 2019 and was sentenced earlier this week. According to court documents, Damlarkaya attempted to join and support ISIS from August 2017 until his arrest in December 2017.

Prosecutors say Damlarkaya provided information to ISIS supporters about the use of machetes, homemade construction of an automatic weapon, and how to build and use explosive materials. He also discussed his plans to travel overseas to fight for ISIS in Syria or Afghanistan, and stated that if he was unsuccessful, he would conduct an attack on non-Muslims in the United States.

During his online conversations with ISIS supporters, Damlarkaya described his intentions to use a machete to harm law enforcement if they raided his home. A search warrant executed at his residence after his arrest found a machete by his bed.

U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas and Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the National Security Division made the announcement. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the case.

Damlarkaya will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. He will be subject to a lifetime of supervised release after his prison sentence is completed.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rob Jones for the Southern District of Texas, with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorney Kevin Nunnally of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.