In this undated photo provided by the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Samy el-Goarany poses for a photo with a weapon and the ISIS flag. (U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern Distirct of New York via AP) (U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York via AP)
United States: An Arizona man convicted of helping a New Yorker join the Islamic State (ISIS) group in Syria was sentenced to 12 years in prison Tuesday by a judge who said he was not the typical “true believer” terrorism defendant.
Ahmed Mohammed el-Gammal, 48, a suburban Phoenix man who sold car parts, was sentenced by Judge Edgardo Ramos in Manhattan federal court.
Ramos said the “consequences of Mr. el-Gammal’s conduct were tragic indeed” because the 24-year-old student he helped reach Syria in 2015 was eventually killed in combat.
The trial was the first ISIS-related prosecution to occur in Manhattan federal court.
El-Gammal was convicted last year for helping Samy el-Goarany, who flew to Turkey in January 2015 and made his way to Syria. El-Gammal was arrested in August 2015, months before el-Goarany’s brother was informed that el-Goarany, a Baruch College student, was killed fighting for ISIS.