A man from St. Louis Park, Minnesota, has been sentenced to a 10-year prison sentence for his involvement with the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
Abdelhamid Al-Madioum, 27, admitted his guilt on January 13, 2021, for supporting a foreign terrorist organization. The prosecutors have requested the court to acknowledge the defendant’s valuable assistance and full cooperation during their investigation and grant him credit for it.
Before his sentencing, Al-Madioum expressed gratitude to the U.S. government for providing him with a second opportunity. He proceeded to speak to his parents and two young sons, who were saved from a Syrian orphanage by U.S. authorities and brought to America with the assistance of federal authorities.
Al-Madioum was one of many Minnesotans believed to have left the United States to join ISIS, along with many other fighters from various countries around the world. As of 2023, he is one of 11 adults who have been officially brought back to the U.S. from Syria and Iraq to be prosecuted for terrorist-related offenses and suspected connections to the Islamic State (IS). Some individuals were given sentences that varied from four years to life plus 70 years.
The prosecutors had requested a 12-year sentence, emphasizing that Al-Madioum’s suffering (his arm and leg were severely injured in an explosion that resulted in an arm amputation) did not diminish the severity of his crimes. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Winter stated that Al-Madioum became radicalized through online sources and provided assistance to IS in achieving its objectives.
Manvir Atwal, the attorney for Al-Madioum, requested a sentence of seven years, citing his ability to distance himself from extremist ideology and his assistance in other terrorism cases.
Montgomery chose a 10-year sentence after considering sentencing guidelines, Al-Madioum’s cooperation, and letters of support, including one from a former U.S. ambassador whose name was not disclosed.
Al-Madioum’s first wife tragically passed away in his arms in 2019 after being shot in front of him, allegedly by either rebel forces or an IS fighter.