A 33-year-old Tajik national was arrested in Brooklyn for allegedly conspiring to provide material support to ISIS and ISIS-K, the US Department of Justice announced on Wednesday.
The defendant, Mansuri Manuschekhri, entered the US in June 2016 on a non-immigrant visa that expired in December 2016. He is also known as Mansuri Manchekhri and Manysher, according to court documents, and worked as a truck driver who traveled throughout the US.
ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham) follows a fundamentalist doctrine of Sunni Islam, and ISIS-K (Islamic State-Khorasan Province) is an IS affiliate that was established by its central command from Iraq and Syria. Both groups are designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the US Secretary of State.
In court documents, FBI Special Agent Jack Amaro detailed interviews with an individual who contacted the New York State Terrorism Tips Hotline about Manuschekhri in August 2024.
The individual—who is a close family member of Manuschekhri—said the defendant committed acts of domestic violence against others, threatened death multiple times, became radicalized in recent years, and spoke favorably of jihad.
Amaro also reviewed the iCloud account belonging to Manuschekhri, and found evidence corroborating his radicalization and provision of financial support to ISIS and/or ISIS-K.
Among the items in his iCloud account were two jihadi propaganda videos—including one that featured Abu Obeida, a spokesperson for Hamas’ Al-Qassam militia—and photographs and videos showing the defendant possessing and using firearms at various shooting ranges.
Due to Manuschekhri’s status as an alien unlawfully in the US, possession of a firearm in interstate commerce is prohibited.
Contributed to ISIS extremists overseas
“As alleged, the defendant, who was in the United States illegally, not only facilitated tens of thousands of dollars in contributions to ISIS extremists overseas but trained with assault rifles at shooting ranges in the United States and declared his readiness to ISIS,” said US Attorney John J. Durham for the Eastern District of New York.
“Protecting the homeland and prosecuting evildoers who assist terrorist organizations by funding their violent and hateful agenda, here and abroad, will always be a priority of this office.”
While residing in Brooklyn between December 2021 and April 2023, Manuchekhri facilitated about $70,000 in payments to ISIS-affiliated individuals in Turkey and Syria, the documents detail. The money appears to have been sent in many small installments and often through an intermediary.
To show that funds were received, one individual in Istanbul sent photos to Manuschekhri, including one of what appears to be Syrian currency and another of a woman and girl wearing burqas and sitting on the floor next to what also appears to be Syrian currency and holding a hand-written sign saying in Russian, “Relief is near,” and saying in Arabic, “May God reward you.” This individual was arrested by Turkish authorities in the summer of 2023 for affiliation with ISIS-K, the documents state, citing public reporting.
“Brother, this is not photoshop. Just to track down the money. In regard to the money, it was distributed to 24 families and they will receive Syrian currency,” the individual said in an audio recording to the defendant. “For example, for the deceased, their wives receive 30,000 and their children 20,000, depending on how many children they have.”
Amaro provided a deeper explanation of the audio message and the photographs sent to Manuschekhri.
“Based on my training and experience, and the context of these photographs as discussed further below, I believe that ‘the deceased’ is a reference to battlefield deaths of ISIS members, and I am familiar with the practice of soliciting financial support from ISIS sympathizers for the families of slain ISIS fighters,” Amaro wrote.
“Additionally, as will be seen more clearly in other messages below, I believe the reference to another ‘half’ of the money that is not going to these family members likely refers to a portion that goes to others about whom CC-1 [an individual in Istanbul who communicated with the defendant] is more circumspect to discuss on the telephone: specifically, ISIS fighters.”
“The defendant allegedly supported ISIS and sent thousands of dollars overseas to individuals connected to ISIS,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.
“The FBI is focused on preventing acts of terrorism, and ISIS has a long and violent record of harming US citizens. We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to find and hold accountable those who assist terrorists and endanger the safety of Americans at home or abroad.”
Paid a US citizen for marriage
According to the statement, in March 2017, Manuchekhri paid an American citizen to enter into a sham marriage in order to obtain legal status in the United States.
The petition was not granted as the defendant failed to provide the requested supporting documentation. As detailed in court documents, text messages found in Manuchekhri’s iCloud account showed that the individual he married continually demanded more money and threatened to report him to immigration authorities.
“The Justice Department will relentlessly pursue those who fund and support terrorists,” said Sue Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “We will not allow our immigration or financial systems to be exploited. Our country will not be a safe haven for those who try to harm Americans.”
Tajikistan is a landlocked Central Asian country of about 10 million people in the area between Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and China. The majority of Tajiks are adherents of the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam.
This month in Tajikistan, a court handed down prison sentences of between eight and 20 years to more than 30 people convicted of trying to poison festival attendees last year, and a source in the Tajik security services told Reuters the convicted people were tied to ISIS-K.
The Justice Department statement concluded with, “A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
Reuters contributed to this report.