A Knoxville man was sentenced on Wednesday in the United States District Court in Knoxville for supporting the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, more commonly known as ISIS.
According to court documents obtained by WVLT News, Benjamin Alan Carpenter, also known as Abu Hamza, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison followed by 20 years of supervised release on Wednesday.
Carpenter was convicted in October 2023 of one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization.
According to the Department of Justice, evidence presented at the trial demonstrated that Carpenter served as the leader of Ahlut-Tawhid Publications, an international organization of pro-ISIS “munasirin,” or supporters, dedicated to translating, producing, and distributing ISIS propaganda throughout the world.
For years, the DOJ said Carpenter used his alias “Abu Hamza” to publish a large body of ISIS media, including a weekly newsletter.
In 2020 and 2021, Carpenter contacted an individual he believed to be affiliated with ISIS’ central media bureau and provided translation services for a project intended to relaunch Al-Hayat Media Center, ISIS’s official foreign-language media arm, according to the DOJ. Unbeknownst to him, however, that individual was an FBI undercover employee who had infiltrated Carpenter’s group.
He was then arrested in March 2021.
“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.”
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.
Story courtesy of WVLT
