A New York City man was sentenced Tuesday to 18 years in prison for providing material support to the ISIS, according to the Department of Justice.
Munther Omar Saleh, 22, of Queens, pleaded guilty to conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Saleh and a co-conspirator, Fareed Mumuni, conspired to travel to ISIS-controlled territory to join the terrorist organization and also planed to use a pressure-cooker bomb to conduct an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack.
On June 13, 2015, Saleh and Mumuni attempted a knife attack on a federal agent who was surveilling the pair. Following his arrest, Saleh admitted that he planned to physically attack the law enforcement agents who were watching them.
Four days later, when federal agents executed a search warrant at Mumuni’s Staten Island home. During the raid, Mumuni repeatedly stated an FBI agent in the torso with a large kitchen knife, the Justice Department said. The knife did not penetrate the agent’s protective body armor and he sustained minor injuries.
Saleh’s 18-year prison term will be followed by 10 years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Margo K. Brodie issued the sentence.
“Munther Omar Saleh and his co-conspirators conducted attacks on members of law enforcement who worked tireless to keep our city safe,” U.S. Attorney Richard P. Donoghue said. “Saleh’s sentence will not only incapacitate the defendant for a significant period of time, but should also serve as a deterrent to those who contemplate waging violent jihad in New York City at the direct of a foreign terrorist organization.”
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander A. Solomon, Douglas M. Pravda and Ian C. Richardson.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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