Court Case

USA v. Hossain, Delowar Mohammed

July 2019 (Updated October 11, 2021)
Bronx, NY
Taliban

[SDNY] Delowar Mohammed Hossain from Bronx, NY, was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport while allegedly attempting to travel to Afghanistan to join the Taliban in order to kill Americans. He was charged with attempting to provide material support to terrorism. Beginning in the fall of 2018, Hossain expressed his desire to join the Taliban and fight against American forces. Over the months that followed, Hossain attempted to recruit a confidential source of the FBI ("CS-1") to travel with him from the United States to Pakistan, and then to cross the border into Afghanistan to join the Taliban. Hossain was convicted in October 2021 for attempting to provide material support for terrorism and attempting to make a contribution of funds, goods, and services to the Taliban. Hossain was sentenced to eight years in prison in March 2022 for trying to provide material support for terrorism by contributing funds, goods and services to the Taliban.

Case Updates

2021-10-11 | Bronx Man Who Attempted To Travel To Afghanistan In 2019 To Join Taliban Convicted Of Attempting To Provide Material Support For Terrorism

Delowar Mohammed Hossain was convicted on both counts of attempting to provide material support for terrorism and attempting to make a contribution of funds, goods, and services to the Taliban. Beginning in the fall of 2018, Hossain expressed his desire to travel to Afghanistan and join the Taliban to kill American servicemembers. Over the next approximately 10 months, he attempted to recruit several other individuals into his plot; attempted to contact at least one individual in Pakistan who was associated with the Taliban; saved at least approximately $10,000, with which he planned to buy weapons to use after he joined the Taliban; and bought survival gear for the mountains of Afghanistan. During recorded conversations with two confidential sources working with the FBI, Hossain consistently reiterated his desire to join the Taliban and kill Americans. He also took steps to develop a cover story designed to disguise his extremism and evade detection by the FBI, which included traveling to Thailand on his way to Afghanistan.

Case Documents