A Pakistani doctor was sentenced to 18 years in prison in the United States for attempting to assist Daesh.

Muhammad Masood, a 31-year-old licensed Pakistani doctor on a work visa in the United States, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for attempting to offer material support to a terrorist organization, Daesh.
"A Rochester man was sentenced today to 216 months in prison, equivalent to 18 years, followed by five years of supervised release for attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization," the US Department of Justice said in a press release.

According to court filings, Masood previously worked as a research coordinator at a medical clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, on an H-1B visa.

According to the official statement, Masood's behavior from January 2020 to March 2020 demonstrated his attempts to join the militant organisation and offer material assistance in carrying out terrorist operations in the United States.

"Between January and March 2020, Masood used an encrypted messaging application to facilitate his travel overseas to join a terrorist organization," according to the statement.


It went on to say that the Pakistani guy repeatedly expressed his intention to join Daesh and swore his allegiance to the banned terrorist organization and its leader.
"Masood also expressed his desire to conduct 'lone wolf' terrorist attacks in the United States."
He purchased a plane ticket from Chicago, Illinois, to Amman, Jordan, with plans to travel to Syria from there on February 21, 2020.
However, his travel plans changed on March 16, 2020, due to Jordan closing the border due to coronavirus travel restrictions.

He then chose to fly from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, where he hoped to meet someone who could assist him with travel via cargo ship to the zone seized by Daesh.

Masood flew from Rochester to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) on March 19, 2020, to board an aircraft heading for Los Angeles, California.

However, upon arrival at the airport, he was apprehended by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).