Sentencing of West Haven Man for Attempting to Support ISIS
Ahmad Khalil Elshazly, a 29-year-old from West Haven, Connecticut, has been sentenced to 92 months in prison—over seven years—after attempting to support the Islamic State, which is also referred to as ISIS, according to the US Department of Justice’s announcement on Monday.
David X. Sullivan, the US attorney for the District of Connecticut, emphasized the importance of national security by stating, “There is no higher priority than the security of our nation and its citizens. My office and our law enforcement partners will continue to tenaciously work to investigate, apprehend and bring to justice anyone who threatens us.”
Elshazly, who has been incarcerated since his arrest on December 15, 2019, will be under supervised release for life once his prison term ends, as noted by the department.
The day prior to his arrest, he handed over $500 to an undercover agent, believing the agent was associated with ISIS.
Elshazly intended for this agent to smuggle him out of the US into Turkey, with plans to connect him to an ISIS member who would facilitate his journey to Syria.
Authorities detained him in Stonington, Connecticut, just before he was set to board a boat, according to the Justice Department.
In the 15 months leading up to his arrest, Elshazly had pledged allegiance to ISIS, posting “hundreds” of pro-ISIS messages on an instant-messaging platform as indicated in court documents.
He entered a guilty plea on November 30, 2022, for conspiring to aid a terrorist organization.
While in detention, Elshazly has encountered multiple disciplinary issues. In August 2025, guards searched his cell and discovered a handwritten plan detailing an orchestrated uprising at the facility, which included diagrams and strategies for overcoming security measures.
While the Justice Department recommended a 15-year sentence, Elshazly’s attorneys argued for a more compassionate approach. They suggested that showing him compassion would demonstrate to the Muslim community that the US is not the adversary that radical extremists claim it to be.
In a sentencing memo submitted on September 1, his legal representatives described Elshazly as stemming from a troubled background, with a mother unable to provide adequate support, educational struggles, and untreated Autism Spectrum Disorder, all of which left him susceptible to ISIS propaganda during solitary hours. They pointed out that he often escaped into fantasy, making extravagant claims about military exploits and skills he did not possess, such as rocketry. They advocated for therapy to help address his autism and related concerns.
