Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy

By Jillian Pikora From Daily Voice

A Canadian man serving a 40-year federal sentence for plotting a terrorist attack in New York City has pleaded guilty to violently assaulting two correctional officers inside a Pennsylvania prison, federal officials announced on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, 27, of Mississauga, Ontario, attacked two officers at USP Allenwood on December 7, 2020, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Bahnasawy used a sharpened piece of steel from a desk in his cell to stab one officer in the head and face, causing the victim to lose his right eye, investigators said. When a second officer rushed to help, Bahnasawy stabbed her in the hand before being restrained.

A note found in his sock read, “This is a terrorist attack for the Islamic State,” officials said. Agents also discovered a pledge of allegiance to ISIS taped inside his locker.

Serving 40 Years For Foiled New York Terror Plot

At the time of the Allenwood attack, Bahnasawy was already serving a 40-year prison sentence imposed in 2018 by U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman in New York. Court records show he pleaded guilty to seven terrorism-related counts, including conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, providing material support to terrorists, and conspiracy to bomb public places and transportation systems.

Bahnasawy and two others—Talha Haroon and Russell Salic—planned coordinated bombings and shootings in Times Square, the New York City subway, and concert venues during Ramadhan 2016, aspiring to “create the next 9/11,” dederal prosecutors said. The FBI foiled the plot after an undercover agent infiltrated the group.

The court also recommended Bahnasawy be placed in a facility with access to mental health and substance abuse treatment, noting his mental health history and young age at the time of sentencing.

Family Says He Was Mentally Ill And ‘Entrapped’

Bahnasawy’s family has long argued that he was a Canadian minor with bipolar disorder when he was drawn into the 2016 terror plot. On a website and in advocacy materials titled “Help Us Bring Abdulrahman Home,” relatives claim he was “entrapped by the FBI with help from the RCMP,” despite authorities knowing he was a teenager living with a mental illness.

Family members further allege that Bahnasawy was denied his choice of legal counsel, pressured into pleading guilty, and has since spent much of his incarceration in solitary confinement.

They have called for his repatriation to Canada, emphasizing his youth, mental health struggles, and what they describe as a lack of adequate psychiatric care within the U.S. prison system.

Facing New Federal Charges

Following the 2020 assault at USP Allenwood, Bahnasawy now faces additional counts of assault with intent to commit murder, possession of contraband, and providing material support to ISIS from within prison. He could face up to 130 years in federal prison, prosecutors said.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey MacArthur and DOJ Counterterrorism Trial Attorney Jessica L. Joyce, with the FBI leading the investigation. A sentencing date has not yet been announced.