Knoxville Man Found Guilty Of Aiding ISIS
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
The trial for a Tennessee man accused of attempting to provide assistance to ISIS has ended after eight days with the jury returning a guilty verdict.
Knoxville resident Benjamin Carpenter, who is also known by the alias “Abu Hamza,” was convicted on Thursday of attempting to give material support to an organization that had been designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
The U.S. District Court in Knoxville saw seventy potential jurors last week. They were questioned by lawyers from both sides about their personal beliefs and whether they felt they could be impartial in the case.
Potential jurors were asked about their knowledge of ISIS and were asked if they had any issues with particular evidence collection in the case. Attorney Wade Davies asked if anyone took offense to the fact that Carpenter claimed an affiliation with the Islamic faith and also asked if potentially violent material would bother them.
Social media messages were submitted by investigators to be placed on the court record. Those messages include one that showed Carpenter disseminating the U.S. Army Munitions Handbook through a messaging group. He also provided a review of the book, stating, “This book contains more info than you would ever think would be legal to buy on Amazon.”
Prosecutors also stated that Carpenter served as the leader of Ahlut-Tawhid Publications and published weekly pro-ISIS information under the title “From Dabiq to Rome.” He also assisted with translation of ISIS videos into English. Investigators also quoted ISIS teachings that stated that media was “no less important than engaging its battle” and “the power of words is sharper than atomic bombs.”
Prosecutors noted that the publications glorified suicide bombings, praised the death of American soldiers, and called for war against the U.S.
“In 2020 and 2021, Carpenter contacted an individual he believed to be affiliated with ISIS’s central media bureau and provided translation services for a projected intended to relaunch Al-Hayat Media Center, ISIS’s official foreign-language media arm. Unbeknownst to him, that individual was an FBI undercover employee who had infiltrated Carpenter’s group,” said the U.S. Department of Justice.
In 2021, Carpenter told 10News that he thought what he was doing was Constitutionally protected free speech.
Dr. Paul Kamolnick, an ETSU professor who specializes in religion and terrorism, was brought in to provide an expert opinion on the weekly newsletters published by Carpenter.
“The words that are used are extraordinarily dehumanizing,” said Kamolnik. “It gives you a clear conscience in destroying people who you believe to be the enemy of God.”
U.S. District Court Judge Katherine A. Crytzer presided over the case and will also provide over the sentencing, which will take place at a later time. Carpenter could be given up to twenty years in federal prison and a possible lifetime of supervised release.
