Pakistani doctor sentenced to 18 years' jail in US

Minnesota: The United States authorities sentenced a Pakistani doctor to 18 years in prison for his alleged support to the militant Islamic State group, also known as Arabic acronym Daesh.

According to court records, Mohammad Masood, 31, was sentenced on Friday. 

Masood worked as a research coordinator at a clinic in Rochester, Minnesota before becoming a registered physician in Pakistan.

Moreover, in order to enable his foreign flight to join a terrorist organization, he allegedly utilized an encrypted chat app between January and March 2020, according to court records.

As per the news release by the US Justice Department, he repeatedly expressed his desire to join the IS organization and swore allegiance to the group and its leader. He also stated his intention to carry out "lone wolf" terrorist strikes against Americans.

According to the documents submitted in a federal court, Dr Masood on Feb 21, 2020, purchased a ticket from Chicago, Illinois, to Amman, Jordan, and from there planned to travel to Syria. On March 16, 2020, his travel plans changed because Jordan closed its borders for incoming travellers due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He then decided to fly from Minneapolis to Los Angeles to meet with an individual who he believed would assist him with travel via a cargo ship to the IS territory.

He traveled from Rochester to Minneapolis on March 19 of that year in order to catch a trip to Los Angeles. When he arrived at the Los Angeles airport, a Joint Terrorism Task Force of the FBI apprehended him.

Dr Masood pleaded guilty on Aug 16, 2022, to attempting to provide material support to the outfit. He was sentenced on Aug 25 before Senior Judge Paul A. Magnuson.