US court hands 12-year sentence to Pakistani in America for supporting LeT
24-year old Jubair Ahmed had created and uploaded a propaganda LeT video, recruited members.
WASHINGTON:
A US judge has sentenced 24-year Jubair Ahmed, a Pakistan native, to 12 years in jail for providing material support to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
The US Department of Justice, in a press release issued on Friday, said that Jubair Ahmed, a resident of Woodbridge, Virginia, had been sentenced to 12 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil H. MacBride said, “Jubair Ahmad was deeply committed to LeT’s violent aims, which he promoted through online propaganda, recruiting others, and fundraising for the terrorist organisation responsible for the deadly 2008 attack in Mumbai, India, which killed 160 people, including two Virginians.”
India and US blame the Pakistan based group LeT for the deadly November 2008 Mumbai attacks, in which 10 attackers rampaged through the financial hub of India, killing 160 people including six Americans. The US has designated the LeT as a terrorist organisation and had been banned in Pakistan as well.
The press release said that the 24-year old Pakistan-born Ahmed moved to the US in 2007 with his family after receiving a visa to the country. He was born and raised in Pakistan. Ahmed, who pleaded guilty in December 2011, said that in September 2010 he established contact with Talha Saeed, son of Hafiz Saeed, LeT’s head.
“Talha Saeed requested Ahmad to prepare a video that would contain a prayer by Hafiz Saeed calling for the support of jihad and the mujahideen. In addition, Talha Saeed instructed Ahmad to present a
variety of violent images on the video while Hafiz Saeed’s prayer is heard in the background,” said the press release.
In April, the US government issued a Rewards for Justice notice which announced a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Hafiz Saeed, who had founded the LeT but denies involvement with the Mumbai attacks.
Ahmed admitted that Talha Saeed asked him not to use anything in the video pertaining to the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. “On September 25, 2010, Ahmad completed the LeT video and uploaded it to a YouTube account on the internet. The next day, Ahmad sent a communication to another person overseas in which he explained that “Hafiz Saeed’s son Talha Saeed” had requested him to prepare the video. Forensic examination by the FBI subsequently confirmed that Ahmad had constructed the LeT
video on his computer.”
The US Department of Justice also presented evidence that Jubair Ahmed conspired to recruit others “to attend LeT training camps, conspired to raise funds for LeT, and expressed his intention to return to Pakistan to complete the LeT commando training course and be launched on a martyrdom mission.”
“Mr Ahmad directly supported the mission of a designated terrorist organisation through his creation of online propaganda, fundraising, and recruitment efforts. He is now being held accountable for those
actions,” said the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Assistant Director in Charge James McJunkin in the press release. “The FBI will continue to pursue those who provide material support to terrorist groups,
whether online or in person, and ensure that they are brought to justice.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article carried a headline suggesting Jubair Ahmed had secured American citizenship. This is not clear from the DoJ press release. The error is regretted.
A US judge has sentenced 24-year Jubair Ahmed, a Pakistan native, to 12 years in jail for providing material support to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
The US Department of Justice, in a press release issued on Friday, said that Jubair Ahmed, a resident of Woodbridge, Virginia, had been sentenced to 12 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil H. MacBride said, “Jubair Ahmad was deeply committed to LeT’s violent aims, which he promoted through online propaganda, recruiting others, and fundraising for the terrorist organisation responsible for the deadly 2008 attack in Mumbai, India, which killed 160 people, including two Virginians.”
India and US blame the Pakistan based group LeT for the deadly November 2008 Mumbai attacks, in which 10 attackers rampaged through the financial hub of India, killing 160 people including six Americans. The US has designated the LeT as a terrorist organisation and had been banned in Pakistan as well.
The press release said that the 24-year old Pakistan-born Ahmed moved to the US in 2007 with his family after receiving a visa to the country. He was born and raised in Pakistan. Ahmed, who pleaded guilty in December 2011, said that in September 2010 he established contact with Talha Saeed, son of Hafiz Saeed, LeT’s head.
“Talha Saeed requested Ahmad to prepare a video that would contain a prayer by Hafiz Saeed calling for the support of jihad and the mujahideen. In addition, Talha Saeed instructed Ahmad to present a
variety of violent images on the video while Hafiz Saeed’s prayer is heard in the background,” said the press release.
In April, the US government issued a Rewards for Justice notice which announced a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Hafiz Saeed, who had founded the LeT but denies involvement with the Mumbai attacks.
Ahmed admitted that Talha Saeed asked him not to use anything in the video pertaining to the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. “On September 25, 2010, Ahmad completed the LeT video and uploaded it to a YouTube account on the internet. The next day, Ahmad sent a communication to another person overseas in which he explained that “Hafiz Saeed’s son Talha Saeed” had requested him to prepare the video. Forensic examination by the FBI subsequently confirmed that Ahmad had constructed the LeT
video on his computer.”
The US Department of Justice also presented evidence that Jubair Ahmed conspired to recruit others “to attend LeT training camps, conspired to raise funds for LeT, and expressed his intention to return to Pakistan to complete the LeT commando training course and be launched on a martyrdom mission.”
“Mr Ahmad directly supported the mission of a designated terrorist organisation through his creation of online propaganda, fundraising, and recruitment efforts. He is now being held accountable for those
actions,” said the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Assistant Director in Charge James McJunkin in the press release. “The FBI will continue to pursue those who provide material support to terrorist groups,
whether online or in person, and ensure that they are brought to justice.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article carried a headline suggesting Jubair Ahmed had secured American citizenship. This is not clear from the DoJ press release. The error is regretted.