Khan is an American citizen by birth.
Indian American Islamic State sympathizer who was booked for trying to go to Syria along with his teenage brother and sister has been sentenced to 40 months in prison by a Federal Judge.
The incident that resulted in the arrest of Mohammed Hamzah Khan happened two years back when he along with siblings tried to go to Syria to join the dreaded ISIS. Khan who has already served two years in jail will be eligible for release in August next year. Khan who has a track record of good behavior during his jail plans to enroll in college after the release.
Khan was sentenced by Federal Judge John J Tharp after he admitted last year to having tried to enter Syria to extend support for Islamic State militants. Even after his release, Khan will be under the constant supervision of the security forces for the next 20 years.
The judge also directed the authorities to give Khan “violent extreme counseling and mental health treatment program.
“Instead of a public beheading, you’ve been given a public trial proceeding,” PTI quoted the judge at the conclusion of a two-hour hearing. “The enemy government has not tried to kill you. It has tried to help you.”
Khan was arrested along with his teenage sister and brother at O’Hare International Airport in October 2014 at the age of 19 as they tried to board a jet to Vienna with connection flight scheduled to take them to Istanbul.
Khan’s teenage brother and sister were questioned by the FBI authorities in the airport but was allowed to leave without any charges. The case had grabbed a lot of attention at that time mainly because of their age.
The plea agreement of khan says that he worked as a stock clerk at a Menards store until July 2014 to fund his Syrian trip. He saved $2,676 by the end of September, enough to buy tickets for him and his siblings.
Khan whose parents immigrated from India lived in Chicago for many years. He is an American citizen by birth and graduated from high school and attended one year at Benedictine University in Lisle.