An Islamic State group member was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in prison for aiding the terrorist organization that took credit for a suicide bombing that killed 13 US service members and about 160 Afghans at the Kabul airport five years ago during the American military’s chaotic withdrawal from the country.
Legal Proceedings Following Abbey Gate Bombing
In a recent court hearing, Sharifullah has requested a 17-year prison sentence for his involvement in the Abbey Gate bombing, which resulted in the death of Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss. Prosecutors, however, are seeking a 20-year sentence. Sharifullah’s defense team argues that he was never an ISIS-K leader and has not been convicted of any actions related to the suicide bombing at the airport. The family of Sgt. Knauss, represented by his mother Paula Knauss-Selph, expressed that they have been ‘forever changed’ by the tragic event.
Trenga heard victim impact statements from several parents of the US service members. From a podium only a few feet from where Sharifullah sat, they took turns paying tribute to their children’s sacrifices and describing how the attack has shattered their families.
Jurors convicted Sharifullah of providing material support to ISIS-K. Sharifullah could have faced a possible life sentence if the jury had unanimously decided that question. Defense lawyers argued that prosecutors failed to present any evidence tying Sharifullah to the Kabul bombing besides his own words during hours of FBI questioning.
Because he was afraid of being tortured in Pakistani custody before he was brought to the U.S, his team said Sharifullah told FBI agents what he thought they wanted to hear, possibly.
“He was brought here because the government believed he participated in the Abbey Gate attack, a theory which it was unable to prove at trial,” defense attorneys wrote. They deadlocked on whether any deaths at the airport “resulted from” that conspiracy.
Sharifullah did not testify at his trial and declined to address the court before US District Judge Anthony Trenga imposed the sentence. Sharifullah, 28, received the maximum sentence for his one-count conviction in an international terrorism case that President Donald Trump heralded last year during a speech to a joint session of Congress.
The judge said the defendant was a “dedicated terrorist” who expressed no remorse for the “unfathomable” grief and suffering that he had caused.
