Awais Chudhary, a 25-year-old resident of Queens, New York, was sentenced to nine years in prison for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Carol Bagley Amon in Brooklyn federal court.
According to court documents, Chudhary pledged allegiance to ISIS’s then-leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in August 2019 after watching violent propaganda videos. He began planning a knife or bomb attack targeting pedestrian bridges over the Grand Central Parkway and the Flushing Bay Promenade in Queens. Chudhary conducted reconnaissance at these locations and recorded videos as part of his preparations.
Chudhary sought advice from individuals he believed were ISIS supporters about what type of knife to use and how to avoid leaving evidence such as fingerprints or DNA. He also shared an image from an ISIS propaganda magazine that showed where on the human body to stab victims with a knife.
To prepare for the attack, Chudhary ordered items online including a tactical knife, mask, gloves, and cellphone straps intended for recording the planned assault. He was arrested while attempting to retrieve these items from an online retailer’s locker in Queens.
Before planning this specific attack, Chudhary also contributed to ISIS’s recruitment efforts by helping translate propaganda materials into English alongside another individual who was separately convicted on similar charges.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated: “Awais Chudhary pledged allegiance to a brutal terrorist organization and set out to kill American citizens. Our prosecutors have ensured that he will spend years behind bars for his crimes, and the Department of Justice will continue to protect the American people from all threats foreign and domestic.”
United States Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said: “After consuming violent ISIS propaganda for more than a year, the defendant took real world steps to carry out a lethal terrorist attack in Queens, including scouting the location of his attack and analyzing when it would be the most crowded so he could inflict maximum slaughter. Thanks to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, Chudhary was stopped before anyone was harmed.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher Raia commented: “Today, Awais Chudhary received a well-deserved punishment for his deliberate plans – motivated by ISIS’s barbaric propaganda – to conduct a mass casualty terrorist attack in Queens. The FBI New York’s Joint Terrorism Task Force remains vigilant and determined to defend our country from the evils of terrorism.”
NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch added: “Awais Chudhary pledged allegiance to a foreign terrorist organization, actively helped to recruit individuals to join ISIS, and planned to commit a mass knife attack in Queens. Chudhary’s plan to cause terror was stopped because of the women and men in law enforcement — and today, our justice system is holding him accountable. I would like to thank our NYPD investigators as well as our partners at the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their work hard work and determination.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ellen H. Sise, Lindsey R. Oken, Andrew D. Reich; Trial Attorney Kevin Nunnally; and Paralegal Specialist Rebecca Roth from offices specializing in national security matters.
