Muhammad Masood, a 31-year-old Pakistani doctor, had been residing in the US on a work visa. With a notable position as a research coordinator at a Rochester, Minnesota medical clinic, Masood was well-integrated into the US healthcare community.
From January to March 2020, Masood actively engaged in encrypted communications with Daesh operatives. He utilized these secret conversations to orchestrate his plans to join an overseas terrorist faction, Daesh. However, US authorities intercepted his communication.
The Arrest and Sentencing
On March 19, 2020, Masood initiated his journey from Rochester and arrived at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to Los Angeles, California. But as fate would have it, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) apprehended him before he could proceed.
Masood admitted to his transgressions following legal proceedings on August 16 of the same year. Senior Judge Paul A. Magnuson presided over his case and, on August 25, handed down a sentence of 18 years in prison with an additional five years of supervised release.
The US Department of Justice subsequently released an official statement, bringing to light the details of the case and the nature of Masood’s crimes.
