Uzbek national extradited to the United States, Davud Ansariy, a citizen of Uzbekistan and naturalized U.S. citizen also known as Kozimjon Gafurov and Kozim, is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn on an indictment alleging he conspired to provide and provided material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham and Al-Nusrah Front, which were designated foreign terrorist organizations at the time of the conduct.
According to officials, Ansariy was transferred to the Eastern District of New York from Tbilisi, Georgia, on Sept. 23 after his arrest there in August 2026. He is slated to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lara K. Eshkenazi.
Uzbek national extradited in long-running terrorism case
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said Ansariy must answer allegations that he supported ISIS and the Al-Nusrah Front, describing the groups as among the most ruthless terrorist organizations. Eisenberg said the indictment alleges Ansariy operated a network that raised funds, arranged travel, and facilitated would-be foreign fighters, and he credited domestic and international partners with assisting the case.
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York said the defendant fled the country more than a decade ago to avoid prosecution for serious offenses. As alleged, Nocella said, Ansariy helped run a broad effort to finance travel for foreign fighters to wage violent jihad. He added that the extradition underscores ongoing efforts to hold accountable those who support terrorism targeting the United States.
Assistant Director Jarod Brown of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division said the suspect allegedly raised money for two foreign terrorist organizations and left the United States before he could be brought to justice. Brown stated that the FBI will continue to locate those who assist foreign terrorist groups and work with partners to disrupt networks that fund terrorist acts.
Court filings allege Ansariy led a circle of radicalized individuals primarily in Brooklyn who planned to travel to Syria to join ISIS or Al-Nusrah Front, or who financed travel for aspiring fighters. Investigators say they uncovered a significant financing network that raised money for travel to Syria to join and fight for foreign terrorist groups. Members referred to the group as chayxona, an Uzbek term meaning tea house or tea party.
According to the filings, the group also collected funds to support families left behind by those who traveled to Syria, including widows and relatives of those killed. Prosecutors say that as a result of the tea party collections, Ansariy and others financed travel for at least three individuals to Syria in 2013. All three are believed to have died in Syria.
Authorities say Ansariy left the United States for Turkey in May 2016 on a one-way ticket purchased the day before, departing five days after the May 11, 2016 arrest of a co-conspirator. He remained a fugitive until a federal grand jury in Brooklyn returned an indictment in November 2021.
If convicted, Ansariy faces a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison.
The FBI led the investigation with assistance from the New York Police Department, New York State Police, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Port Authority Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI Office of the Law Enforcement Attache in Tbilisi, and the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia assisted in the arrest and extradition.
The case is being prosecuted by the Eastern District of New York’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey R. Oken is handling the prosecution with support from Trial Attorney Joseph Kaster of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Irisa Chen, along with former Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Pravda.
In a separate terrorism-related matter, an ISIS-K terrorist was sentenced to 20 years over his role at Abbey Gate, underscoring ongoing federal efforts to prosecute alleged supporters of extremist groups.