Bangladeshi couple sentenced in the US for conspiring to support Islamic State

A US federal judge in Philadelphia has sentenced a Bangladeshi husband and wife to jail terms for plotting to provide support to the Daish, the Justice Department said, reports Indian news agency ANI quoting Russian news agency Sputnik.

United States attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Shahidul Gaffar, 40, and Nabila Khan, 35, both residents of Pennsylvania, were sentenced to 18 months and two years in prison, respectively, by US district court judge Joshua Wolson, the Justice Department said in a press release on Thursday.

Gaffar and Khan were convicted of conspiracy to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State, a designated foreign terrorist organisation, the release said.

“The defendants encouraged and financially supported the efforts of Nabila Kahn’s brothers to join the murderous terrorist group ISIS [Islamic State], which is a direct threat to the United States,” the release added.

According to court documents, in 2015, Gaffar and Khan provided financial support to two of Khan’s brothers who travelled to Syria to join the Islamic State. The couple discussed the brothers’ travel plans in detail with each other as early as September 2014, the release noted.