A federal court in the United States has sentenced a Pennsylvania man, Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, to 208 months (17 years and 3 months) for plotting to bomb a Nigerian church in Pittsburgh, US in collaboration with the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
The sentence of Alowemer would be followed by a lifetime of supervised release, according to a press release issued by the US Department of Justice on Wednesday and signed by Assistant Attorney-General Matthew G. Olsen of the DOJ National Security Division.
On September 16, 2021, the 24-year-old pled guilty in the Western District of Pennsylvania to one count of attempting to provide material support to ISIS in relation to his plan to attack the aforementioned church.
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According to Olsen, the statement read, “Alowemer admitted to planning a deadly bombing of a Pittsburgh church in the name of ISIS,” said Olsen. “The National Security Division was created to protect the nation from terrorist threats and we remain vigilant against those who would plot violent attacks on US soil in furtherance of an extreme ideology.”
“The defendant’s plan to bomb a Pittsburgh church and risk death or injury to residents in the area in the name of ISIS was thwarted by the extraordinary work of the Pittsburgh Joint Terrorism Task Force,” said US Attorney Cindy K. Chung for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “Our office will continue to hold accountable individuals who threaten the safety of our communities.”
“I want to commend the great work of our Joint Terrorism Task Force, and that of their partners and sources, in successfully thwarting a planned terrorist attack in the name of ISIS,” said Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division.
“Alowemer’s plan to conduct an attack at a church in Pittsburgh and inspire other ISIS supporters in the United States was unsuccessful thanks to the efforts of law enforcement officials at both the federal and state level. This sentencing demonstrates the commitment we share with our partners to pursuing justice against those who violate our laws and seek to harm innocents in our communities.”
According to court documents, Alowemer planned to use an explosive device to bomb a church on the north side of Pittsburgh. His stated motivation for carrying out such an attack was to support ISIS and to inspire other ISIS supporters in the United States to commit similar acts in the group’s name.
Alowemer also targeted the church, which he described as a Nigerian Christian church to avenge his [ISIS] brothers in Nigeria. Alowemer was aware that the explosion could kill numerous individuals in the vicinity of the church.
In May 2019, in furtherance of the plot to bomb the church, Alowemer distributed instructional documents regarding the construction and use of explosives and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to a person Alowemer believed to be an ISIS supporter, but who was in fact an FBI employee.
