IS-Follower Inmate El Bahnasawy Sentenced to Additional 50 Years on Top of Existing 40 Years for Stabbing and Blinding Correctional Officer at Allenwood Federal Penitentiary

WASHINGTON

Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, 28, a Canadian national who was already serving a 40-year prison sentence as a follower of the Islamic State (ISIS/IS), has been sentenced to an additional 50 years in prison for attacking two correctional officers at United States Penitentiary Allenwood (USP Allenwood) in 2020. The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Oct. 19 (U.S. time) that the sentence will be served consecutively to his existing 40-year term. El Bahnasawy pleaded guilty in November 2025. The U.S. Department of Justice stated that while serving a 40-year sentence for plotting a 2016 mass-casualty terrorist attack in New York City on behalf of ISIS, he carried out another attack in the name of ISIS.

Two Correctional Officers Stabbed with Piece of Metal Desk at Allenwood Prison

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, El Bahnasawy attacked two correctional officers on Dec. 7, 2020, while incarcerated at USP Allenwood. The weapon was fashioned from part of a metal desk in his cell. He first stabbed one officer in the head and face, and then stabbed the hand of another officer who rushed to assist.

The officer who was attacked first ultimately lost his right eye as a result. A note reading "This is a terrorist attack for the Islamic State" was recovered from El Bahnasawy's sock after he was subdued. Inside his cell locker door was a written pledge of allegiance to ISIS, the U.S. Department of Justice stated. The U.S. Department of Justice identified ISIS as a designated foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government.

In November 2025, El Bahnasawy pleaded guilty to multiple counts of assault, assault with intent to commit murder, possession of contraband in a correctional facility, and providing material support to ISIS. Following his guilty plea, the 50-year prison sentence was finalized at this sentencing.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg Stated He "Attacked Corrections Officers Again"

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg stated that even though El Bahnasawy was already serving 40 years in federal prison for plotting mass-casualty attacks in New York City, he "savagely attacked corrections officers again" on behalf of ISIS. Assistant Attorney General Eisenberg said, "Today’s sentence further ensures that El Bahnasawy will remain for a very long time in prison, where he can cause far less harm."

U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania Brian Miller stated, "We will prosecute anyone, anywhere, who commits, attempts to commit, or assists in violence pursuant to ISIS’s vile ideology." U.S. Attorney Miller said the sentence demonstrates an unwavering commitment to combating those who perpetrate violence in the name of ISIS even behind prison walls. The case involving El Bahnasawy’s attack on correctional officers was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Jared Brown, Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, stated that even though this inmate was behind bars, he horrifically attacked two correctional officers in the name of ISIS. Assistant Director Brown added that the officers fortunately survived. Assistant Director Brown stated that this sentence shows that society will not tolerate violent attacks by followers of ISIS or any other foreign terrorist organization. Brown said that combating terrorism remains at the core of the FBI’s mission to protect the American people, and that the FBI will continue to work with law enforcement partners to hold these heinous criminals accountable. The U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division posted the press release highlights on X the same day, featuring remarks by Assistant Attorney General Eisenberg.

The FBI also announced the sentencing on X that day.

Sentenced to 40 Years in 2018 for Plotting Times Square and Subway Bombings and Concert Hall Mass Shooting

The U.S. Department of Justice National Security Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Dec. 19, 2018 (U.S. time) that El Bahnasawy was sentenced to 40 years in prison and lifetime supervised release. Then a 20-year-old Canadian citizen and resident, he pleaded guilty on Oct. 13, 2016, to a seven-count Superseding Information, and U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman handed down the sentence, the U.S. Department of Justice stated.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, El Bahnasawy plotted via encrypted messaging applications with U.S. citizen Talha Haroon (then 20, residing in Pakistan) and Philippine citizen Russell Salic (then 38, residing in the Philippines) to carry out bombing attacks and shootings in heavily populated areas of New York City during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in 2016. All plans were pursued in the name of ISIS. The Southern District of New York stated that El Bahnasawy acquired bomb-making materials and helped secure a cabin within driving distance of New York City to use as a staging location for building explosives and preparing the attacks. Haroon planned to travel from Pakistan to New York to join the attacks, while Salic allegedly wired funds from the Philippines to the United States to finance the operation.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey S. Berman stated that El Bahnasawy planned to detonate bombs in Times Square and the New York City subway system, and shoot civilians at concert venues. U.S. Attorney Berman stated that he marked bomb detonation locations on a subway map and declared his intention to create "the next 9/11." Then-Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers stated that El Bahnasawy conspired with others to plot terrorist attacks in New York in support of ISIS and traveled to the United States to carry them out. Assistant Attorney General Demers stated that the sentence reflected the gravity of his conduct and held him accountable for terrorist activities, commending the prosecutors, agents, and analysts who handled the case. Demers added that the National Security Division remains dedicated to identifying and holding accountable those who seek to harm the United States and its citizens.

An undercover FBI agent infiltrated the plot, posing as an ISIS supporter ready to join the attacks. The FBI arrested El Bahnasawy in May 2016 shortly after he traveled from Canada to the New York City area to prepare for the attack. He has remained in custody ever since. The attack on the correctional officers took place during his incarceration in December 2020, four years and seven months after his May 2016 arrest. The U.S. Department of Justice stated that Haroon was arrested in Pakistan in September 2016 and Salic was arrested in the Philippines in April 2017, and both were detained in their respective countries awaiting U.S. extradition proceedings as of December 2018. The charges contained in the complaint against them are merely allegations, and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

In the 2018 investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice cited assistance from the FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), the FBI Los Angeles and Denver Field Offices, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the New York State Police, and the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs. The USP Allenwood correctional officer attack was investigated by the FBI Philadelphia Field Office. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey MacArthur of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and Larry Schneider, Deputy Chief of the Counterterrorism Section of the U.S. Department of Justice's National Security Division.

Sources (KST)

• U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Public Affairs, "ISIS-Inspired Terrorist Sentenced for Attacking Guards While Serving Sentence for Separate NYC Terror Plot" (Oct. 19, 2026): https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/isis-inspired-terrorist-sentenced-attacking-guards-while-serving-sentence-separate-nyc
• U.S. Department of Justice U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, "Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy Sentenced To 40 Years In Prison For Plotting To Carry Out Terrorist Attacks In New York City For ISIS In Summer Of 2016" (Dec. 19, 2018): https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/abdulrahman-el-bahnasawy-sentenced-40-years-prison-plotting-carry-out-terrorist-attacks
• U.S. Department of Justice National Security Division (DOJNatSec) X Post: https://x.com/DOJNatSec/status/2112266403675869463
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) X Post: https://x.com/FBI/status/2112339482489856483