Defendant Participated in Plot to Conduct Suicide Attacks
Against Coalition Forces
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Faruq Khalil
Muhammad ‘Isa was sentenced to 26 years’ imprisonment to be followed by a
lifetime of supervised release by United States District Judge Roslynn R.
Mauskopf for his role in conspiring to murder U.S. soldiers in Iraq. ‘Isa pleaded guilty to the charge in March
2018. The Court entered a judicial order
of removal to Canada.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern
District of New York, John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National
Security, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau
of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and James P. O’Neill,
Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the sentence.
“With today’s sentence, ‘Isa has been held accountable for
his role in a deadly conspiracy that ultimately contributed to the tragic loss
of five U.S. soldiers in Iraq,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “This Office, together with the FBI, the NYPD
and all the members of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, will take every step
necessary to apprehend and prosecute terrorists, wherever they are located, in
furtherance of our fundamental mission of protecting the American people.”
“Today’s sentence brings some measure of earthly justice to
an individual involved in the deaths of five service members, but it cannot
begin to compensate for the evil he contributed to or alleviate the pain of
those families whose lives he changed forever,” said Assistant Attorney General
Demers. “We in the National Security
Division are inspired in our work by those who put their lives on the line to
keep us safe.”
“Muhammad ‘Isa’s efforts to facilitate a suicide attack, one
that ultimately resulted in the death of five young American soldiers in Iraq,
has landed him a sentence of more than two decades behind bars,” stated FBI
Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney.
“While this sentence is significant, it doesn’t come close to mitigating
the pain and suffering these soldiers’ families will face for the rest of their
lives. As this case comes to a close, let us remember the names of those who
were murdered that day, and vow to never forget the daily sacrifices made by
the brave men and women of the U.S. armed forces and their families.”
“The NYPD will do everything in its power to combat terror,
and to support the brave men and women serving our country overseas,” stated
NYPD Commissioner O’Neill. “This
includes defeating deadly terrorist conspiracies that target U.S. troops. I want to commend our partners in the U.S.
Attorney’s Office and the FBI for helping to bring Mr. ‘Isa to justice for his
role in this tragic and cowardly act.”
The defendant was a member of a multinational terrorist
network that helped those who wished to carry out suicide bombings travel to
Iraq. On April 10, 2009, terrorists
associated with the network carried out an attack on the United States
Military’s Forward Operating Base Marez (“FOB Marez”) in Mosul, Iraq. Terrorists drove a truck laden with explosives
drove to the gate of FOB Marez, and exchanged fire with Iraqi police officers
guarding the base and then with an American convoy exiting the base. The truck detonated alongside the last
vehicle in the convoy, leaving a 60-foot crater in the ground. Five American soldiers were killed in the blast: Staff Sergeant Gary L. Woods, 24, of Lebanon
Junction, Kentucky; Sergeant First Class Bryan E. Hall, 32, of Elk Grove,
California; Sergeant Edward W. Forrest Jr., 25, of St. Louis, Missouri;
Corporal Jason G. Pautsch, 20, of Davenport, Iowa; and Army Private First Class
Bryce E. Gaultier, 22, of Cyprus, California.
While residing in Canada, the defendant communicated with
Syria- and Iraq-based members of the terrorist network, including certain
individuals who conducted the April 10, 2009 attack. In those communications, the defendant
suggested a contact to facilitate travel for the attackers from Syria into
Iraq, in addition to offering words of encouragement and religious
guidance. He also communicated with a
group of prospective suicide bombers whose efforts to travel to Iraq were
ultimately unsuccessful.
‘Isa has been incarcerated since his extradition from Canada
in January 2015.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s
National Security and Cybercrime Section.
Assistant United States Attorney Alexander A. Solomon is in charge of
the prosecution with the assistance of the National Security Division’s
Counterterrorism Section.
The Defendant:
FARUQ KHALIL MUHAMMAD ‘ISA
Age: 51
Toronto, Canada
E.D.N.Y. Docket No.
11-CR-819 (RRM)
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