Image Credit: Justice Department
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
A Knoxville man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for working with the Islamic State group, helping to disseminate terrorist propaganda.
34-year-old Benjamin Carpenter, also known as Abu Hamza, was found guilty last year of assisting ISIS by providing them with information, as well as translating and publishing pro-ISIS materials.
Social media messages submitted by investigators showed Carpenter providing the U.S. Army Munitions Handbook through a messaging group, telling them, “This book contains more info than you would ever think would be legal to buy on Amazon.”
He also ran Ahlut-Tawhid Publications, disseminating weekly pro-ISIS information entitled “From Dabiq to Rome.” News releases report that in those publications, Carpenter called for war against the United States and celebrated the deaths of American soldiers.
Carpenter was arrested in March 2021 after providing information in 2020 and 2021 to an undercover FBI agent who had infiltrated the messaging group and who Carpenter believed was associated with the central media bureau for ISIS.
He told 10 News that he believed that what he was doing was Constitutionally protected free speech.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen said, “For years, this defendant led a global digital media operation to distribute pro-ISIS propaganda, promoting the group’s radical message of terror and pushing it to every corner of the world.”
He continued, “Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of this defendant’s conduct and the Justice Department’s commitment to identifying and holding accountable those who would provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations.”
After Carpenter completes the 20-year-sentence, he will also serve 20 years of supervised release.
One Response
Back in the good ol’ days, he would have been hanging from the nearest tree. He got off easy for what he did.