Maryland Man Sentenced for Involvement with Al Qaeda

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Michael J. Garcia, announced Wednesday in a press release that Mahmud Faruq Brent was sentenced this morning to 15 years in prison. The 15 year sentence was the maximum sentence under the charges Brent was facing. Brent was charged with conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. This organization, Lashkar-e-Taiba (translated "Army of the Pure"), is committed to violence against the United States and its allies.

The judge in this case, Judge Loretta A. Preska, stated that terrorist fighters like Brent make it possible for these terrorist organizations to put their terror into practice. Brent also traveled to Pakistan to train with the Lashkar-e-Taiba. The judge also stated that after completing his military training in Pakistan, Brent returned to the United States awaiting an opportunity to put what he had learned into practice.

The investigation leading up to this sentence revealed that Brent, along with other accomplices, traveled to Pakistan to receive training, and then returned to the United States. Brent was living in Baltimore, Maryland upon his return. Brent has, during this time, received martial arts training from Tarik Shah. Shah was a co-defendant who pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to al Qaeda. Upon further investigation, Shah's address book led authorities to Brent. The FBI had been monitoring Shah's communication and had recorded telephone conversations of him mentioning that Brent could be trusted. Shah also planned to invite Brent to participate in martial arts training videos for the training of jihadists.

Shah was subsequently arrested and used as bait to find out more about Brent. Shah agreed to meet with Brent and allow the FBI to monitor his communications. During this meeting, Brent further implicated himself in the terrorist scheme. Brent encouraged Shah to attend the training camps, but stated that it was difficult to trust people. He said, "We don't know who is who." Brent also said, "We were not in a position to make new friends." Brent also revealed that he had agreed to provide whatever "assistance" he could to the terrorist organization, and he hoped that Allah would bless him for his efforts.

Brent was later arrested. A search of his residence revealed jihad training videos, recording by radical clerics, and a computer which showed Brent had visited the Lashkar-e-Taiba website. The webpage encouraged those wishing to fight the enemies of Allah to attend the training camps.

The FBI, the New York City Police Department, and the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force all took part in this investigation.

Sources:

Southern District of New York United States Attorneys Office, http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/July07/brentsentencingpr.pdf