A New York man, Mirsad Kandic, has been sentenced to life in prison for conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State (ISIS) and for providing substantive support to the group. Kandic, a 41-year-old resident of Brooklyn and Kosovo, was convicted by a federal jury in May 2022 following a three-week trial in Brooklyn.
According to court documents, Kandic provided various forms of support to ISIS between January 2013 and June 2017. This support included personnel, such as himself and Australian citizen Jake Bilardi, as well as services, weapons, property, equipment, and false documentation. Kandic played multiple roles within the organization, including fighting on the battlefield, spreading propaganda, smuggling weapons, and radicalizing recruits from Western countries.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division stated, “Serving ISIS’s deadly terror campaign, this defendant fought on the battlefield, spread propaganda, smuggled weapons, and radicalized Western recruits.” He added that the National Security Division remains committed to identifying and holding accountable those who support terrorist groups like ISIS.
U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York described Kandic as a high-ranking member of ISIS who provided extensive support to the organization. Peace emphasized that Kandic was involved in recruiting foreign fighters and disseminating ISIS propaganda, contributing to the group’s deadly activities. He reaffirmed that his office will continue to prosecute terrorists who pose a threat to the United States and its allies.
Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division highlighted the FBI’s commitment to investigating and holding accountable terrorists who threaten American interests and the safety of its citizens. Wells stated that Kandic’s sentencing demonstrated this commitment and the collaboration between the FBI and international law enforcement partners.
The timeline of Kandic’s involvement with ISIS is detailed in the court documents. After failed attempts to travel from the United States to Turkey, Kandic embarked on a two-day bus ride from New York City to Monterrey, Mexico, in November 2013. From there, he flew through several countries, including Panama, Brazil, Portugal, Germany, Kosovo, and Turkey, before arriving in Syria at the end of 2013.
Once in Syria, Kandic joined ISIS as a fighter in Haritan, an ISIS stronghold near Aleppo. He was armed with Russian-made PK machine guns and AK-47 assault rifles. Later, he was sent to Turkey by ISIS leadership to smuggle foreign fighters and weapons into Syria and to serve as an emir for ISIS media. Kandic used over 120 Twitter accounts to spread ISIS propaganda and recruitment messages. He actively promoted an ISIS-produced video celebrating the group’s conquests and executions, referring to it as the “best thing ever seen on screen.”
Kandic was also heavily involved in recruiting foreign fighters for ISIS. He facilitated the travel of numerous individuals, including Ruslan Maratovich Asainov, a fellow New Yorker who became an ISIS sniper and trainer. Kandic also recruited Jake Bilardi from Australia, providing him with instructions and guidance for traveling to Syria. Bilardi went on to become an ISIS fighter and carried out a suicide truck attack in Iraq, killing himself, more than 30 Iraqi soldiers, and an Iraqi policeman.
In addition to his recruitment activities, Kandic provided battlefield intelligence to top ISIS leadership and managed money for ISIS fighters in Syria. He also operated a private market on Telegram called “Khilafah (Caliphate) Market,” where firearms and military equipment were sold.
The investigation and prosecution of Mirsad Kandic involved extensive international collaboration. Multiple countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Australia, Kazakhstan, Iraq, Finland, Germany, South Africa, Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Ukraine, provided critical assistance. The cooperation of these countries’ authorities and the FBI’s Legal Attaché Offices located abroad was crucial to bringing Kandic to justice.
The sentencing of Mirsad Kandic to life in prison serves as a clear message that individuals who provide material support to terrorist organizations like ISIS will be held accountable. The collaboration between international partners and law enforcement agencies is vital in maintaining global security and combating terrorism.
