A Pakistani national has been sentenced to 12 years in prison in the United States on charges of providing material support to Lashkar-e-Tayiba by producing propaganda videos for the terror outfit and helping it with recruitment of would-be militants.
Jubair Ahmad, 24, pleaded guilty in December to provide material support for the LeT.
"Jubair Ahmad was deeply committed to LeT's violent aims, which he promoted through online propaganda, recruiting others and fundraising for the terrorist organization responsible for the deadly 2008 attack in Mumbai, which killed 160 people, including two Virginians," Neil H MacBride, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said after a court order in this regard.
Ahmad admitted that in September 2010, while at his residence in Woodbridge, he was engaged in a series of communications with an individual named Talha Saeed, who was in Pakistan.
Talha is the son of Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the leader of LeT.
Talha requested Ahmad to prepare a video that would contain a prayer by Hafiz Saeed calling for the support of jihad and the mujahideen.
In addition, Talha instructed Ahmad to present a variety of violent images on the video while Hafiz Saeed's prayer is heard in the background.
The US State Department had recently announced a bounty of $10 million for any information that leads to his arrest and conviction in any court of law.
According to court documents, Talha directed Ahmad to begin the LeT video with a number of pictures of Hafiz Saeed, then show scenes where atrocities have been inflicted on Muslims, followed by the activities of the mujahideen conducting attacks in Kashmir.
At one point, Ahmad asked Talha if he wanted to include an image of the Mumbai attack to show the power of LeT.
Talha replied that he should not use anything referring to Mumbai.
On September 25, 2010, Ahmad completed the LeT video and uploaded it to a YouTube account on the Internet.
The next day, Ahmad sent a communication to another person overseas in which he explained that "Hafiz Saeed's son Talha Saeed" had requested him to prepare the video.
Forensic examination by the FBI subsequently confirmed that Ahmad had constructed the LeT video on his computer.
At sentencing, the government also presented evidence that Ahmad, while in the US, also conspired to recruit others to attend LeT training camps, conspired to raise funds for LeT and expressed his intention to return to Pakistan to complete the LeT commando training course and be launched on a martyrdom mission.
According to court records, Ahmad was born and raised in Pakistan, where he attended LeT training camps as a teen.
In 2007, after receiving a visa from the US Department of State, Ahmad moved from Pakistan to the US with his family.
"The activities of Jubair Ahmad and his LeT associates provide insights into how terrorist organisations produce their propaganda," said Assistant Attorney General Lisa Monaco.
"Ahmad directly supported the mission of a designated terrorist organization through his creation of online propaganda, fundraising and recruitment efforts. He is now being held accountable for those actions," said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James McJunkin.
