Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 18 Years for Aiding Al-Qaeda

Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 18 Years for Aiding Al-Qaeda
Sarah Matheson
9/30/2013
Updated:
7/18/2015

NEW YORK—A dual citizen of Australia and the United States, who lived in Brooklyn, was sentenced Monday to 18 years in jail for funneling equipment, money, and intelligence to al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen and elsewhere.

From 2007 to late 2009, Sabirhan Hasanoff, 37, and co-defendant, Wesam El-Hanafi, sent equipment to terrorists—including remote controls that could be used with explosives—and about $67,000. Some of the money came from a third individual, who also lived in the United States.

In August 2008, Hasanoff performed surveillance on the New York Stock Exchange on behalf of al-Qaeda operatives, who were considering attacking it.

Both defendants had also made plans to travel to Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq to engage in jihad.

Hasanoff was arrested in the United Arab Emirates in 2010 and extradited to the United States. In June 2012 he pleaded guilty to providing and attempting to provide material support and resources to al-Qaeda and for conspiracy.

Hasanoff was also sentenced to three years of supervised release, a $200 special assessment fee, and $70,000 forfeiture. He faces a maximum 20 years in prison.

Sarah Matheson covers the business of luxury for Epoch Times. Sarah has worked for media organizations in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, and graduated with merit from the Aoraki Polytechnic School of Journalism in 2005. Sarah is almost fluent in Mandarin Chinese. Originally from New Zealand, she now lives next to the Highline in Manhattan's most up-and-coming neighborhood, West Chelsea.
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