Connecticut Man Sentenced to Over Seven Years for Attempting to Join ISIS

Ahmad Khalil Elshazly, 29, of West Haven, Connecticut, has been sentenced to 92 months in prison, equivalent to over seven-and-a-half years, for attempting to support the Islamic State (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the sentencing on Monday.

Elshazly has been in custody since his arrest on December 15, 2019. Following his prison term, he will be subject to supervised release for the remainder of his life. U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut David X. Sullivan stated that his office and law enforcement partners are committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals who threaten national security.

The day before his arrest, Elshazly paid $500 to an undercover agent he believed was connected to ISIS. He intended for the agent to facilitate his travel from the United States to Turkey, where he expected to be introduced to an ISIS operative who would help him reach Syria. Authorities apprehended him in Stonington, Connecticut, before he could board a boat.

According to court documents, in the 15 months leading up to his arrest, Elshazly had pledged allegiance to ISIS and disseminated numerous pro-ISIS messages via an instant-messaging platform. He pleaded guilty to conspiring to support a terrorist group on November 30, 2022.

While detained, Elshazly has had multiple disciplinary infractions. In August 2025, a search of his cell uncovered a handwritten plan for an uprising within the detention facility. The plan included diagrams of the housing unit, instructions for bypassing secured areas, and tactics for confronting correctional emergency response teams.

The Justice Department had sought a 15-year sentence for Elshazly. His defense attorneys argued for leniency, suggesting that compassionate treatment would demonstrate that the United States is not an enemy of Islam, as claimed by extremist groups. In a sentencing memo filed on September 1, his attorneys cited Elshazly's "chaotic upbringing, an unequipped mother, educational failure, low self-esteem, extreme isolation, the stupidity of youth, never treated Autism Spectrum Disorder and bouts of depression." They contended that these factors made him susceptible to "toxic Syrian and ISIS propaganda" encountered while unsupervised online. His attorneys also stated that Elshazly, who they described as a "disappointment to himself and others in real life," became engrossed in fantasy, making unsubstantiated claims of military prowess and skills like rocket manufacturing. They further argued that his autism and related conditions could be effectively managed through therapy.