“Wesam El-Hanafi was deeply involved in supporting al-Qaeda both financially and by facilitating surveillance of a New York landmark to bring an attack to our homeland in our city,” US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara said in response to the verdict. “Today’s sentence is a fitting punishment for these crimes and we will continue, with our law enforcement partners, to pursue punishment for those who provide and conspire to provide material support for terrorists.”
El-Hanafi, who was arrested in the United Arab Emirates in 2010 and transferred to the United States, had previously pleaded guilty to the charges of providing and attempting to provide support to al-Qaeda and conspiring to provide material support to the terrorist organization, the FBI said.
According to the FBI and court filings, el-Hanafi provided financial support of $67,000 and swore allegiance to al-Qaeda members in Yemen. El-Hanafi provided a laptop computer and, as an information technology specialist, gave technical training to al-Qaeda on encryption and covert internet communication techniques, court documents show. El-Hanafi and an accomplice also conducted surveillance on the New York Stock Exchange.
The Justice Department said that el-Hanafi had tried to participate in jihad with al-Qaeda abroad, but the terrorist organization turned down their request “because al-Qaeda viewed the two men as more valuable for potential attacks on US soil.”
El-Hanafi’s sentence comes as the United States and Europe become increasingly alarmed by the threat of home-grown terrorists inspired by extremists organizations undertaking attacks on Western targets. Last week, the FBI arrested a man in Ohio who allegedly planned to attack the US Capitol building.
