Sabirhan Hasanoff, Terrorist Support, New York 2012

A Brooklyn man was sentenced to 18 years in prison for providing material support to Al Qaeda associates in Yemen and elsewhere, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara announced today.

Sabirhan Hasanoff, a 37-year-old dual citizen of the United States and Australia, was arrested in the United Arab Emirates in 2010 and transferred to U.S. custody. He pled guilty in June 2012 to one count of providing and attempting to provide material support and resources to Al Qaeda, and one count of conspiracy to provide material support and resources to Al Qaeda.

According to public filings and sworn statements made by the defendant during proceedings in Manhattan federal court, Hasanoff supported Al Qaeda in a variety of ways from 2007 through late 2009. He and his co-defendant, Wesam El-Hanafi, sent equipment, including remote-controlled devices capable of use in an explosives attack, to terrorist operatives abroad. In addition, they funneled approximately $67,000 to Al Qaeda operatives overseas.

Hasanoff also entered the United States from abroad in August 2008, travelled to New York City, and performed surveillance on the New York Stock Exchange – all on instructions from overseas terrorists who were considering the location for a possible attack.

In addition to his prison term, Hasanoff was sentenced to three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $200 special assessment fee and forfeiture in the amount of $70,000.

The case was handled by the Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John P. Cronan, Aimee Hector, Glen Kopp, Michael Lockard, and Brendan R. McGuire are in charge of the prosecution.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York-based Joint Terrorism Task Force – which principally consists of special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and detectives of the New York City Police Department.

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