Long Island Man Sentenced to 200 Months’ Imprisonment for Attempting to Provide Material Support to Terrorists | USAO-EDNY

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY – Elvis Redzepagic was sentenced to 200 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Denis R. Hurley today in the Federal Courthouse in Central Islip for attempting to provide Islamic material assistance and resources to designated foreign terrorist organizations in the State of Iraq and al-Sham ( ISIS) and the al-Nusrah Front. The US citizen Redzepagic pleaded guilty in April 2021.

Breon Peace, US Attorney for the Eastern Borough of New York; Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice’s National Security Division; and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) announced the verdict.

“With today’s long prison sentence, Redzepagic is paying a heavy price for his misguided acceptance of terrorism and his attempts to join IS and the al-Nusrah front in order to wage violent jihad,” said US Attorney Peace. “This office, along with our law enforcement partners, will remain vigilant to protect the public from terrorist threats and to thwart their violent attacks domestically and abroad.”

Mr. Peace thanked the Ministry of Justice’s International Affairs Bureau, the FBI Legal Attaché Office for Serbia and the Ministry of Justice of the Government of Montenegro, the Prosecutor’s Office and the Special Police Unit for their assistance in this case.

In early 2015, Redzepagic began communicating with a person he believed was both the commander of a battalion in Syria and a member of ISIS or the al-Nusrah Front and tried to join that person’s battalion for engage in violent jihad. In July 2015, Redzepagic traveled to Turkey and made several unsuccessful attempts to cross the border into Syria. Redzepagic was unable to enter Syria from Turkey and traveled to Jordan in August 2016, but was stopped and deported by Jordanian authorities.

In October 2015 Facebook messages, Redzepagic stated that “jihad” means “to fight for God” and “to die for Allah”. Redzepagic said he traveled to Turkey to “practice jihad and join Jabhat Al-Nusra”. He predicted, “There will come a time when people can only say Allahu Akbar.”

A search of the defendant’s laptop revealed a variety of ISIS-specific extremist propaganda, including ISIS nasheeds and Islamist anthems, including the “ISIS Anthem” in English. Redzepagic also repeatedly accessed the website “Put hilafeta” or “Weg zum Kaliphat”, a Bosnian-language website for prospective foreign fighters from the Balkans who primarily wanted to join IS and wage jihad in Syria.

The government’s case is handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Division. The prosecution is being held by associate attorneys Saritha Komatireddy and Artie McConnell, assisted by District Attorney Stephanie Sweeten of the National Security Division’s counter-terrorism division.

The defender:

ELVIS REDZEPAGIC
Age: 30
Commack, New York

EDNY file number 17-CR-228 (DRH)

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/long-island-man-sentenced-200-months-imprisonment-attempting-provide-material-support