Arafat M. Nagi, Supporting a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, New York 2014

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New York Man Jailed for Backing ISIS

Arafat M. Nagi, 47, of Lackawanna, New York, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for trying to help the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Nagi was sentenced on [no date specified] by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara, following an investigation by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and assistance from the New York State Attorney General’s Office.

This case began in August 2014, when a community member in Lackawanna alerted the FBI about Nagi’s talk of violent jihad. The community member said it was common for Nagi to get into verbal disputes with people over his radical views.

Further investigation revealed that Nagi had traveled to Turkey twice, in October 2012 and July 2014, with the intention of meeting with ISIS members. Prior to his trips, Nagi had purchased military combat gear, including a tactical vest, army combat shirt, body armor, and night vision goggles.

In Turkey, Nagi purchased a SIM card and activated a Turkish cell phone number. He also sent Facebook messages to other individuals who were prepared to help him enter Syria to join ISIS. Evidence seized from Nagi’s electronic devices showed that he was researching how to travel from Istanbul to cities close to the Syrian border.

During follow-up interviews, the community member who alerted the FBI reported that Nagi still held radical views and was angry about the killing of rebels in Yemen, which he blamed on the United States. Nagi had also pledged an oath to ISIS leaders and expressed support for their tactics, including the killing of innocent men, women, and children.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy C. Lynch and Joel L. Violanti of the Western District of New York, and Trial Attorney Paul Casey of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.