Queens man sentenced to 9 years for plotting NYC knife attack for ISIS

A Queens man has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for plotting a knife attack in New York City on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). On Tuesday, 25-year-old Awais Chudhary of Queens received a 108-month sentence, followed by 15 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty in the Eastern District of New York to attempting to provide material support to ISIS.

According to court documents, Chudhary pledged allegiance in 2019 to then-ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and began planning an attack in New York. He targeted pedestrian bridges over the Grand Central Parkway and the Flushing Bay Promenade, conducting surveillance trips and filming potential attack sites.

Federal prosecutors said Chudhary sought to maximize casualties by striking during times of heavy foot traffic. He also researched methods to avoid detection by law enforcement and shared ISIS propaganda materials, including a diagram showing where to stab victims.

Authorities say Chudhary ordered a tactical knife, mask, gloves, and camera mounts to record the planned attack for ISIS propaganda purposes. He was arrested in 2019 as he attempted to retrieve those items from an online retailer’s locker in Queens.

In addition to plotting the attack, Chudhary also assisted ISIS’s recruitment efforts online, helping translate extremist propaganda into English to reach wider audiences.

“Awais Chudhary pledged allegiance to a brutal terrorist organization and set out to kill American citizens,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Our prosecutors have ensured that he will spend years behind bars for his crimes, and the Department of Justice will continue to protect the American people from all threats, foreign and domestic.”

FBI Director Kash Patel praised the Joint Terrorism Task Force for disrupting the plot, saying, “The men and women of the FBI never lose sight of the threat posed by supporters of ISIS and other terrorist organizations. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to detect and stop violent plots.”

US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York added that Chudhary’s efforts to inflict “maximum slaughter” were stopped before anyone was harmed, thanks to federal counterterrorism efforts.

The case was handled by Assistant US Attorneys Ellen H. Sise, Lindsey R. Oken, and Andrew D. Reich of the Eastern District of New York, along with Trial Attorney Kevin Nunnally of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.