On Friday, a Pakistani physician was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his involvement in attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, namely the militant Islamic State group.
According to court documents, Mohammad Masood, a 31-year-old licensed medical doctor in Pakistan, had previously worked as a research coordinator at a clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Between January and March 2020, he utilized an encrypted messaging app to aid his plans of traveling abroad to join the ranks of a terrorist organization.
The US Department of Justice issued a press release outlining how Mr. Masood repeatedly expressed his intent to join the militant Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham group, even pledging allegiance to the organization and its leader. He also articulated his desire to carry out “lone wolf” terrorist attacks within the United States.
Records presented in federal court indicated that on February 21, 2020, Mr. Masood bought an airplane ticket from Chicago, Illinois, to Amman, Jordan, with the intention of proceeding to Syria from there. However, his travel plans were disrupted on March 16, 2020, when Jordan closed its borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Subsequently, Mr. Masood altered his plans and traveled from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Los Angeles, aiming to meet an individual who he believed would assist him in reaching the IS-controlled territory via a cargo ship.
On March 19 of that year, Mr. Masood journeyed from Rochester to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) in preparation for his flight to Los Angeles. Nevertheless, upon his arrival at MSP, he was apprehended by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Having entered a guilty plea on August 16, 2022, for attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, Mr. Masood was subsequently sentenced on August 25 by Senior Judge Paul A. Magnuson.
