A Knoxville man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in attempting to assist the Islamic State group, a foreign terrorist organization, in what the FBI called a betrayal to America.
Benjamin Carpenter, known as Abu Hamza, 34, was found guilty of providing translation services to IS. For years, he published a large body of IS media, including a weekly newsletter entitled “From Dabiq to Rome,” a periodical that celebrated the deaths of American soldiers, glorified suicide bombers and called for open war against the United States and its allies, according to a news release.
The 20-year-sentence will be followed by 20 years of supervised release.
“For years, this defendant led a global digital media operation to distribute pro-ISIS propaganda, promoting the group’s radical message of terror and pushing it to every corner of the world,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, said in a news release. “Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of this defendant’s conduct and the Justice Department’s commitment to identifying and holding accountable those who would provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations.”
Robert Wells, the executive assistant director of the FBI's National Security Branch, said Carpenter betrayed his country.
“He led a propaganda machine which called for war against U.S. and allied forces through suicide bombings and other means," Wells said. "The FBI and our partners will relentlessly pursue and bring to justice terrorists who devote their lives to hurting American citizens.”
Tyler Whetstone is an investigative reporter focused on accountability journalism. Connect with Tyler by emailing him at tyler.whetstone@knoxnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tyler_whetstone.
Most Popular
Comments / 0