Benjamin Carpenter, also known as Abu Hamza, a 34-year-old resident of Knoxville, Tennessee, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by 20 years of supervised release. His sentence comes as a result of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) through translation services for the designated foreign terrorist organization.
“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,” stated 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.”
Latest TN News
U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III for the Eastern District of Tennessee emphasized the importance of combating terrorism. “Combating terrorism and keeping our communities safe are the highest priorities of the United States Attorney’s Office,” he said. “This case deals a serious blow to the expansion of ISIS and its broken message of hatred and senseless violence.”
Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch commented on Carpenter’s betrayal. “With today’s sentencing, Carpenter is being held accountable for betraying his country and helping ISIS terrorists,” Wells said. “He led a propaganda machine which called for war against U.S. and allied forces through suicide bombings and other means. The FBI and our partners will relentlessly pursue and bring to justice terrorists who devote their lives to hurting American citizens.”
According to court documents, Carpenter was convicted on October 19, 2023, after an eight-day trial in U.S. District Court. The jury found him guilty of attempting to provide material support to ISIS. The evidence showed that Carpenter led Ahlut-Tawhid Publications, an international pro-ISIS organization, which focused on translating, producing, and distributing ISIS propaganda globally. Carpenter, under the alias Abu Hamza, published various ISIS media, including a weekly newsletter titled “From Dabiq to Rome.” This periodical celebrated the deaths of American soldiers, glorified suicide bombers, and called for war against the United States and its allies.
In 2020 and 2021, Carpenter contacted an individual he believed to be affiliated with ISIS’ central media bureau and offered translation services for a project to relaunch Al-Hayat Media Center, ISIS’ official foreign-language media arm. Unbeknownst to him, this individual was an undercover FBI employee who had infiltrated his group.
The FBI’s Knoxville Field Office led the investigation with assistance from various FBI Field Offices across the country. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle J. Wilson and Casey T. Arrowood for the Eastern District of Tennessee and Trial Attorney Charles J. Kovats Jr. of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case.
Source: Read Original Release