Guilty Plea in Assault Case
A Canadian individual has pleaded guilty to attacking a corrections officer at a federal prison in Pennsylvania with the intent to kill, along with providing material support to the terrorist group ISIS.
Abdulrahman Bahnasawy, 27, was incarcerated at U.S. Penitentiary Allenwood, located approximately 154 miles northwest of Philadelphia. On December 7, 2020, he assaulted two corrections officers using a weapon he crafted from a steel desk in his cell, as reported by the Justice Department.
During the attack, Bahnasawy stabbed one officer in the head and face, resulting in the loss of his right eye. He also injured another officer who attempted to assist her colleague.
Following the assault, prison staff discovered a pledge of allegiance to ISIS on a locker door within Bahnasawy’s cell. Additionally, they found a note stating “this is a terrorist attack for the Islamic State” hidden in his sock.
Bahnasawy has pleaded guilty to several charges including assault with intent to commit murder and possession of contraband inside a prison. He faces up to 130 years in prison.
At the time of this incident, Bahnasawy was serving a 40-year sentence for plotting terrorist attacks on New York City on behalf of ISIS back in 2016. His plans were thwarted by an undercover FBI agent involved in their conspiracy.
Bahnasawy was apprehended after traveling from Canada to New York City as part of preparations for these planned attacks, according to information released by the Justice Department in 2018.
