An Iraqi national residing in Troutdale, Oregon, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to provide material aid to ISIS. The man produced and distributed pro-ISIS propaganda online.
Hawazen Mothafar, 33, came to America in 2014 and has been an ISIS supporter since, according to evidence in the case. He was charged by a federal grand jury on the conspiracy charge, as well as four other since-dropped counts, in November 2020.
Mothafar co-founded the Sunni Shield Foundation, a pro-ISIS media group, and created videos using official ISIS footage, exhorting viewers to travel to Iraq and Syria to wage jihad for the terrorist group.
In his capacity at the Sunni Shield Foundation, Mothafar also worked as a graphic designer and publisher for the group’s online newspaper.
Mothafar took instructions on his media outreach efforts from a private online group operated by ISIS’s central media organ, along with other pro-ISIS online media operations.
Mothafar also contributed to other pro-ISIS media efforts, including helping to produce the group’s Youth of the Caliphate magazine, providing graphic designs to two affiliated media foundations and helping the Knights of Uploading group publish pro-ISIS material on several websites.
In one case, Mothafar corresponded with a terrorist operative locked up in West Africa, Abu Qaswara al-Shanqiti, and connected him with two ISIS officials in the hopes of securing his release.
Mothafar faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a life term of parole supervision at his sentencing hearing on Jan. 11, 2024.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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