KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On July 17, 2024, Benjamin Carpenter, 34, of Knoxville, Tennessee, was sentenced to 240 months in prison by the Honorable Katherine A. Crytzer, United States District Judge, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville. Following his incarceration, Carpenter will be on supervised release for 20 years.
On October 19, 2023, following an eight-day trial in United States District Court, a jury convicted Benjamin Carpenter, also known as “Abu Hamza,” of attempting to provide material support to ISIS, a foreign terrorist organization, in violation of Title 18, U.S.C. § 2339B.
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The evidence presented at trial demonstrated that Carpenter served as the leader of Ahlut-Tawhid Publications, an international organization of pro-ISIS “munasirin” (i.e., supporters), dedicated to translating, producing, and distributing ISIS propaganda throughout the world. For years, Carpenter, using his alias “Abu Hamza,” published a large body of ISIS media, including his weekly newsletter entitled From Dabiq to Rome, a periodical that, among other pro-ISIS propaganda themes, celebrated the deaths of American soldiers, glorified suicide bombers, and called for open war against the United States and its Western allies. In 2020 and 2021, Carpenter contacted an individual he believed to be affiliated with ISIS’s central media bureau and provided translation services for a project intended to relaunch Al-Hayat Media Center, ISIS’s official foreign-language media arm. Unbeknownst to him, that individual was an FBI undercover employee who had infiltrated Carpenter’s group.
“For years, this defendant led a global digital media operation to distribute pro-ISIS propaganda, promoting the group’s radical message of terror and pushing it to every corner of the world,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of this defendant’s conduct and the Justice Department’s commitment to identifying and holding accountable those who would provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations.”
“Combatting terrorism and keeping our communities safe are the highest priorities of the United States Attorney’s Office,” said United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III. “This case deals a serious blow to the expansion of ISIS and its broken message of hatred and senseless violence.”
“All across the country, the FBI is working fervently to identify and defeat those who support terrorist organizations. The protection of our citizens will remain a priority for our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The case was investigated by the Knoxville Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is composed of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. It was led by the Knoxville FBI Field Office and involved the assistance of FBI offices from across the country.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle J. Wilson and Casey T. Arrowood of the Eastern District of Tennessee and Trial Attorney Charles J. Kovats, Jr. of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section represented the United States at trial.
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Tennessee Man Sentenced for Supporting ISIS
Benjamin Carpenter, a Knoxville resident also known as Abu Hamza, was sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by 20 years of supervised release for attempting to provide material support to ISIS through translation services, leading a pro-ISIS propaganda operation, and collaborating with an undercover FBI agent.