2 weeks ago
- Abelhamid Al-Madioum, who erstwhile fought for ISIS, faces uncertain sentencing aft nan cancelation of his hearing.
- Federal prosecutors person recommended 12 years for Al-Madioum successful nickname of nan seriousness of his crime.
- Al-Madioum was 18 successful 2014 erstwhile ISIS recruited him.
A Minnesota man who erstwhile fought for nan Islamic State group successful Syria but now expresses remorse for joining a "death cult" and has been cooperating pinch national authorities will person to hold to study really overmuch situation clip he faces aft his sentencing proceeding group for Wednesday was canceled.
Federal prosecutors person recommended 12 years for Abelhamid Al-Madioum successful nickname some of nan seriousness of his crime and nan thief has he fixed nan U.S. and different governments. His lawyer says that 7 years is capable and that Al-Madioum, 27, stopped believing successful nan group's extremist ideology years ago.
A tribunal announcement posted online conscionable complete 2 hours earlier nan proceeding was to statesman said it would beryllium rescheduled for a day to beryllium determined. The announcement did not springiness a logic for nan cancellation.
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Al-Madioum was 18 successful 2014 erstwhile IS recruited him. The assemblage student slipped distant from his family connected a sojourn to their autochthonal Morocco successful 2015. Making his measurement to Syria, he became a worker for IS, besides known as ISIS, until he was maimed successful an detonation successful Iraq. Unable to fight, he utilized his machine skills to service nan group. He surrendered to U.S.-backed rebels successful 2019 and was imprisoned nether harsh conditions.
This photograph shows Abelhamid Al-Madioum, a Minnesota man who erstwhile fought for nan Islamic State group successful Syria. (Sherburne County Jail via AP)
Al-Madioum returned to nan U.S. successful 2020 and pleaded blameworthy successful 2021 to providing worldly support to a designated violent organization. According to tribunal filings, he has been cooperating pinch U.S. authorities and allied governments. The defense says he hopes to activity successful early counterterrorism and deradicalization efforts.
"The personification who near was young, ignorant, and misguided," Al-Madioum said successful a missive to U.S. District Judge Ann Montgomery, who will condemnation him.
"I’ve been changed by life experience: by nan treachery I endured arsenic a personnel of ISIS, by becoming a begetter of four, a husband, an amputee, a captive of war, a malnourished supplicant, by seeing nan symptom and anguish and gnashing of teeth that coercion causes, nan humiliation, nan tears, nan shame," he added. "I joined a decease cult, and it was nan biggest correction of my life."
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Prosecutors admit that Al-Madioum has provided useful assistance to U..S. authorities successful respective nationalist information investigations and prosecutions, and that he accepted work for his crime and pleaded blameworthy promptly connected his return to nan U.S. But they opportunity they factored his practice into their recommended condemnation of 12 years alternatively of nan statutory maximum of 20 years.
"The suspect did overmuch much than harbor extremist beliefs," prosecutors wrote successful a sentencing memo. "He chose convulsive action by taking up arms for ISIS."
Al-Madioum, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was among respective Minnesotans suspected of leaving nan U.S. to subordinate nan Islamic State group, on pinch thousands of fighters from different countries worldwide. Roughly 3 twelve group are known to person near Minnesota to subordinate militant groups successful Somalia aliases Syria. In 2016, 9 Minnesota men were sentenced connected national charges of colluding to subordinate IS.
But Al-Madioum is 1 of nan comparatively fewer Americans who person been brought backmost to nan U.S. who really fought for nan group. According to a defense sentencing memo, he's 1 of 11 adults arsenic of 2023 to beryllium formally repatriated to nan U.S. from nan conflict successful Syria and Iraq to look charges for terrorist-related crimes and alleged affiliations pinch IS. Others received sentences ranging from 4 years to life positive 70 years.
Al-Madioum grew up successful nan Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park successful a loving and nonreligious family, nan defense memo said. He joined IS because he wanted to thief Muslims he believed were being slaughtered by Syrian President Bashar Assad's authorities successful that country's civilian war. IS recruiters persuaded him "to trial his religion and go a existent Muslim."
But he was a combatant for little than 2 months earlier he mislaid his correct limb beneath nan elbow successful nan detonation that besides near him pinch 2 severely surgery legs and different terrible injuries. He whitethorn still require amputation of 1 leg, nan defense says.
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While recuperating successful 2016, he met his first wife, Fatima, an IS widow who already had a boy and bore him different successful 2017. They lived successful poorness and nether changeless airstrikes. He was incapable to work, and his stipend from IS stopped successful 2018. They lived successful a makeshift tent, nan defense says.
He joined his 2nd wife, Fozia, successful 2018. She besides was an IS widow and already had a 4-year-old daughter. They had separated by early 2019. He heard later she and their girl together had died. The first woman besides is dead, having been changeable successful beforehand of Al-Madioum by either rebel forces aliases an IS combatant successful 2019, nan defense says.
The time aft that shooting, he walked pinch his sons and surrendered to nan Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which held him nether conditions nan defense described arsenic "heinous" for 18 months until nan FBI returned him to nan U.S.
As for Al-Madioum’s children, nan defense memo said that they were yet recovered successful a Syrian orphanage and that his parents will beryllium their foster parents erstwhile they get successful nan U.S.
