Phoenix man gets 30 years for ISIS-inspired attack in Texas
A Phoenix man convicted of an ISIS-inspired attack on a Prophet Mohammed art contest in a Dallas suburb has been sentenced to 30 years in prison followed by lifetime probation.
Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem's case marked the first time in the U.S. that the prosecution of someone charged with providing support to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, had gone before a jury.
In May 2015, authorities say, two Phoenix men, Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, attacked a "draw a prophet" contest in Garland, Texas. Simpson and Soofi were shot and killed by police after the men shot at a security guard, who suffered a non-fatal injury.
Abdul Kareem, 45, who was accused of providing the men with weapons, was found guilty of conspiracy, interstate transportation of firearms, false statements, being a felon in possession of firearms and conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
Abdul Kareem initially faced life in prison or a minimum of 45 years in connection with a terrorist act. Defense attorney Daniel Maynard, however, argued that the attack was focused on the event and not an attempt to influence or retaliate against the government. Judge Susan R. Bolton agreed.
"I do not believe there is a clear or convincing evidence that the conspirators were attempting to interfere, intimidate and coerce the government," Bolton said, but she continued on to say Abdul Kareem needed to be held accountable for his actions in the event.
Bolton described Abdul Kareem's actions as a "extraordinary serious crime" that required a significant sentence to protect the public, as well as send a message to those who might considering joining groups such as ISIS.
"Mr. Kareem didn't try to shoot anybody ... but that doesn't mean he wasn’t an integral part of what happened in Texas," Bolton said Wednesday. "What they intended to do, and what he (Kareem) knew what they wanted to do, was not only to try to kill some number of people ... but to do it in the name of a foreign terrorist organization, ISIS."
"You are just as responsible," Bolton said, directing her attention to Abdul Kareem before handing down the sentence.
Attorney: 'He is a good man'
In his closing statement, Maynard focused on his client's character and how he didn't fit the profile of a radicalized terrorist.
“He certainly associated people who are radicalized,” Maynard said. “But I think it is clear he is different from Simpson and Soofi.”
He went on to say Abul Kareem did not know what actions the two men were going to carry out.
"The jury found he was guilty of something he did not do. This will haunt me for a long time," he said. "He didn't go to Garland. ... He was in Phoenix."
Maynard described the hundreds of hours he spent with his client, communicating through his cell in solitary — Abul Kareem on his knees while he sat on a chair on the other side.
Interviews with family, friends and his community revealed that he fed transients and gave jobs to the jobless, Maynard said.
"He is a good man, I know this," he said.
Citing Abdul Kareem's older age, Maynard argued he wasn't the type of recruit ISIS went after. And, his client was not likely to commit another crime. He asked Bolton to consider the punishment he had received by being in solitary for 10 months and that likely he would be kept in similar conditions in federal prison.
Abdul Kareem lost his business, his reputation and his freedom, he said.
Maynard then read a letter from Abul Kareem, who stood in an orange jumpsuit with his hands in chains.
“I had nothing to do with his crime," his attorney read. "I feel that I’ve been charged stereotypically with misguided intentions due to my faith.”
The note went on to describe his relationship with his faith and how it had helped him with depression and anxiety after the deaths of his father, sisters and brother. Abdul Kareem wrote how he had been shot in the back after being robbed at gunpoint, and said he had been stabbed nine times when someone broke into his apartment to steal money.
While healing, he looked to the words of his religion's scripture to bring peace and to meditate, he wrote in the letter.
"The Koran does not direct anyone to act out in violence," he wrote. "Why would anyone inflict hate on others and tie it to Islam?"
Prosecutor: Abdul Kareem a key player
In her closing statement, U.S. Attorney Kristen Brook disputed the defendant's lack of knowledge of the attack.
Abdul Kareem acted as a "mentor," assisting the other two men with firearms training by taking them in the desert for target shooting, she said. He provided the money to purchase the weapons and ammunition used in the attack and hosted Simpson and Soofi in his home, Brook said.
Abdul Kareem also inquired about explosives to blow up the University of Phoenix Stadium during the 2015 Super Bowl and later set his sights on the cartoon contest in Texas after the stadium plan fell through, Brook said.
"He is not just an outside participant or some fringe guy," Brook said. "Kareem is as responsible as Soofi and Simpson."
“Today’s sentence, in the country’s first trial involving a homeland terrorist attack committed in the name of ISIL, demonstrates the commitment of the United States to hold accountable any person who participates in or aids in any way acts of terrorism against our citizens,” said acting U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Strange in a press release. “I would like to recognize the heroic law enforcement officials in Garland whose quick action prevented a much larger tragedy, the FBI for the tremendous work on the underlying investigation, and our dedicated prosecutors who worked tirelessly to seek justice on behalf of the United States.”
Injured security guard: 'I'll never be the same'
Bruce Joiner, the security guard who had been shot in the attack, was present in the courtroom Wednesday and addressed Bolton and Abdul Kareem.
“There are four to five seconds of memory I don’t have because I was trying to survive," he said.
Joiner had been standing outside the Curtis Cutwell Center, unarmed, when he walked up to a car that screeched to a stop in the parking lot. Two men, Simpson and Soofi, got out and started firing automatic weapons.
A bullet pierced his left leg, narrowly missing his bone, which would have called for an amputation, he said, pausing as he became emotional.
“While the injury to my body may be small to some, the emotional injury to my person is more noticeable,” said Joiner, who described post-traumatic stress and behavior changes. "I'll never be the same."
“I hope the sentence will prevent you from ever hurting another person," he said. "Though you have not asked for it, I offer my forgiveness."