ISIS-Inspired Terrorist Sentenced for Attacking Guards While Serving Sentence for Separate NYC Terror Plot
A Canadian serving 40 years for an ISIS-linked NYC terror plot received an additional 50-year sentence for attacking prison guards in 2020, ensuring prolonged incarceration.
Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, 28, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for attacking two correctional officers at USP Allenwood in December 2020. Using a weapon fashioned from a steel desk, he stabbed one officer in the head and face, causing the loss of an eye, and injured a second officer in the hand. The attack occurred while Bahnasawy was already serving a 40-year sentence for plotting a mass-casualty ISIS attack in New York City.
Federal prosecutors emphasized Bahnasawy’s continued allegiance to ISIS, citing a note found in his sock declaring the assault a 'terrorist attack for the Islamic State.' A pledge of allegiance to ISIS was also discovered taped inside a prison locker. Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg stated the sentence ensures Bahnasawy remains incarcerated for an extended period, limiting his ability to cause harm.
U.S. Attorney Brian D. Miller underscored the government’s commitment to prosecuting violence linked to ISIS ideology, even within prison walls. The FBI’s Assistant Director Jarod Brown highlighted the attack’s severity, noting the officers’ survival despite the brutal nature of the assault. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey MacArthur.
Bahnasawy pleaded guilty in November 2025 to multiple charges, including assault, assault with intent to commit murder, and providing material support to ISIS. His original 40-year sentence stemmed from a 2016 plot, disrupted by an undercover FBI agent, to conduct bombings and shootings in New York City during Ramadhan.