An ISIS-K terrorist sentenced to 20 years in federal prison was held responsible for his role in a nearly decade-long conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to the Justice Department.
Officials identified the defendant as Afghan national Mohammad Sharifullah, described as a member of the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham-Khorasan Province. Prosecutors said he participated in numerous ISIS-K operations that resulted in mass casualties, including the 2021 suicide bombing at Abbey Gate outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul that killed 13 U.S. service members and approximately 160 civilians.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said the sentence holds Sharifullah accountable for supporting attacks against civilians and contributing to the deaths at Abbey Gate. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Theophani K. Stamos of the Eastern District of Virginia said the outcome brings a measure of justice to families affected by the violence. FBI leaders, including Assistant Director Jarod Brown of the Counterterrorism Division and Assistant Director in Charge Darren Cox of the Washington Field Office, credited interagency teams for pursuing the case and emphasized the bureau’s commitment to bringing perpetrators to justice.
ISIS-K terrorist sentenced in connection with Abbey Gate
Court filings and evidence presented at trial state that on Aug. 26, 2021, during a non-combatant evacuation at Abbey Gate, ISIS-K leadership tasked Sharifullah to check a route to the airport for Taliban checkpoints. Around 2 p.m., he traveled the route and reported it was clear. At about 5:36 p.m., ISIS-K operative Abdul Rahman al-Logari, whom Sharifullah had known from an Afghan prison, detonated a body-worn explosive, killing 13 U.S. military personnel and scores of civilians.
Prosecutors also tied Sharifullah to a June 20, 2016 attack in Kabul in which a suicide bomber targeted Nepali security guards protecting the Canadian Embassy. Investigators said he conducted surveillance ahead of the operation and transported the bomber to the site.
In addition, authorities said that during the March 22, 2024 assault on Crocus City Hall near Moscow, Sharifullah, acting on behalf of ISIS-K, shared instructions on the use of AK-style rifles and other weapons with the attackers and communicated with them during the rampage. More than 100 civilians were killed.
According to the government, Sharifullah took part in over a dozen ISIS-K attacks from 2016 until his apprehension in 2025. His roles included surveillance of targets, moving suicide bombers, transporting and cleaning weapons, relaying messages among ISIS-K operatives, and recording explosions for propaganda.
The FBI Washington Field Office led the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Gibbs, Avi Panth, and Reed Sawyers of the Eastern District of Virginia, along with Trial Attorney Ryan D. White of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Related filings can be found through the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or via PACER under Case No. 1:25-cr-143.
In a separate national security matter, the Justice Department and FBI previously worked together when DOJ, FBI seized QScan and QTRouter used in PRC hacking, underscoring the agencies’ broader counterterrorism and counterintelligence efforts.