A 33-year-old Tajik nationwide was apprehended in Brooklyn for supposedly conspiring to supply material assistance to ISIS and ISIS-K, the United States Department of Justice revealed on Wednesday.
The offender, Mansuri Manuschekhri, got in the United States in June 2016 on a non-immigrant visa that ended in December 2016. He is likewise referred to as Mansuri Manchekhri and Manysher, according to court files, and worked as a truck motorist who took a trip throughout the United States.
ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham) follows a fundamentalist teaching of Sunni Islam, and ISIS-K (Islamic State-Khorasan Province) is an IS affiliate that was developed by its main command from Iraq and Syria. Both groups are designated as a Foreign Terrorist Company by the United States Secretary of State.
In court files, FBI Unique Representative Jack Amaro in-depth interviews with a person who called the New york city State Terrorism Tips Hotline about Manuschekhri in August 2024.
The private– who is a close member of the family of Manuschekhri– stated the offender dedicated acts of domestic violence versus others, threatened death several times, ended up being radicalized in the last few years, and spoke positively of jihad.
Amaro likewise examined the iCloud account coming from Manuschekhri, and discovered proof supporting his radicalization and arrangement of financial backing to ISIS and/or ISIS-K.
Amongst the products in his iCloud account were 2 jihadi propaganda videos– consisting of one that included Abu Obeida, a representative for Hamas’ Al-Qassam militia– and pictures and videos revealing the offender having and utilizing guns at numerous shooting varieties.
Due to Manuschekhri’s status as an alien unlawfully in the United States, belongings of a gun in interstate commerce is forbidden.
Added to ISIS extremists abroad
” As declared, the offender, who remained in the United States unlawfully, not just assisted in 10s of countless dollars in contributions to ISIS extremists overseas however trained with attack rifles at shooting varieties in the United States and stated his preparedness to ISIS,” stated United States Lawyer John J. Durham for the Eastern District of New York City.
” Safeguarding the homeland and prosecuting evil people who help terrorist companies by moneying their violent and despiteful program, here and abroad, will constantly be a concern of this workplace.”
While living in Brooklyn in between December 2021 and April 2023, Manuchekhri assisted in about $70,000 in payments to ISIS-affiliated people in Turkey and Syria, the files information. The cash appears to have actually been sent out in numerous little installations and typically through an intermediary.
To reveal that funds were gotten, one person in Istanbul sent out images to Manuschekhri, consisting of among what seems Syrian currency and another of a lady and woman using burqas and resting on the flooring beside what likewise seems Syrian currency and holding a hand-written indication stating in Russian, “Relief is near,” and stating in Arabic, “Might God reward you.” This person was apprehended by Turkish authorities in the summer season of 2023 for association with ISIS-K, the files state, pointing out public reporting.
” Bro, this is not photoshop. Simply to locate the cash. In regard to the cash, it was dispersed to 24 households and they will get Syrian currency,” the person stated in an audio recording to the offender. “For instance, for the departed, their spouses get 30,000 and their kids 20,000, depending upon the number of kids they have.”
Amaro supplied a much deeper description of the audio message and the pictures sent out to Manuschekhri.
” Based upon my training and experience, and the context of these pictures as talked about even more listed below, I think that ‘the departed’ is a referral to battleground deaths of ISIS members, and I recognize with the practice of getting financial backing from ISIS sympathizers for the households of killed ISIS fighters,” Amaro composed.
” In addition, as will be seen more plainly in other messages listed below, I think the referral to another ‘half’ of the cash that is not going to these member of the family most likely describes a part that goes to others about whom CC-1 [an individual in Istanbul who communicated with the defendant] is more scrupulous to talk about on the telephone: particularly, ISIS fighters.”
” The offender supposedly supported ISIS and sent out countless dollars overseas to people linked to ISIS,” FBI Director Kash Patel stated.
” The FBI is concentrated on avoiding acts of terrorism, and ISIS has a long and violent record of damaging United States people. We are dedicated to dealing with our police partners to discover and hold liable those who help terrorists and threaten the security of Americans in your home or abroad.”
Paid a United States person for marital relationship
According to the declaration, in March 2017, Manuchekhri paid an American person to participate in a sham marital relationship in order to acquire legal status in the United States.
The petition was not given as the offender stopped working to supply the asked for supporting paperwork. As detailed in court files, text discovered in Manuchekhri’s iCloud account revealed that the private he wed constantly required more cash and threatened to report him to migration authorities.
” The Justice Department will non-stop pursue those who money and support terrorists,” stated Sue Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Department. “We will not enable our migration or monetary systems to be made use of. Our nation will not be a safe house for those who attempt to damage Americans.”
Tajikistan is a landlocked Main Asian nation of about 10 million individuals in the location in between Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and China. Most of Tajiks are followers of the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam.
This month in Tajikistan, a court bied far jail sentences of in between 8 and twenty years to more than 30 individuals founded guilty of attempting to toxin celebration guests in 2015, and a source in the Tajik security services informed Reuters the founded guilty individuals were connected to ISIS-K.
The Justice Department declaration concluded with, “A criminal problem is simply a claims. All offenders are presumed innocent till tested guilty beyond a sensible doubt in a law court.”
Reuters added to this report.