ISIS FANATIC WHO PLOTTED NYC MASSACRE GETS 50 MORE YEARS AFTER BLINDING PRISON GUARD

A Canadian ISIS operative already serving decades for plotting a 9/11-style bloodbath in New York City was slammed with an additional 50 years behind bars Monday after stabbing two federal correctional officers — permanently blinding one — in a brazen prison attack he declared was carried out for the Islamic State.

Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, 28, of Mississauga, Ontario, will now serve a combined 90-year sentence after pleading guilty to charges stemming from the December 7, 2020, assault at the U.S. Penitentiary Allenwood in Pennsylvania. The new term runs consecutively to the 40-year sentence he received in 2018 for conspiring to detonate bombs in Times Square and the New York subway system and open fire on concert crowds during Ramadan.

Federal prosecutors say the Kuwait-born Canadian, who once boasted of wanting to “create the next 9/11,” remained undeterred by prison walls. On the morning of the attack, shortly after 6 a.m., El Bahnasawy emerged from his cell armed with a roughly 14.5-inch makeshift shank fashioned from a piece of steel desk. He ambushed corrections officer Dale Franquet Jr., stabbing him in the head, face, neck near the jugular, and right eye while reportedly yelling “Allahu Akbar.” Franquet later lost the eye and came within a fraction of an inch of being killed, according to medical accounts. When a second officer intervened, El Bahnasawy stabbed her in the hand. Both officers survived.

After he was restrained, officers recovered a note from El Bahnasawy’s sock that read: “This is a terrorist attack for the Islamic State.” A pledge of allegiance to ISIS was also found taped inside a locker in his cell.

In November 2025, El Bahnasawy pleaded guilty to multiple counts including assault with intent to commit murder, possession of prison contraband, and providing material support to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization. U.S. District Judge Matthew W. Brann imposed the 50-year sentence on Monday.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Bahnasawy, who is already serving a 40-year sentence in federal prison for plotting mass casualty attacks in New York City on behalf of ISIS, savagely attacked corrections officers once again on behalf of ISIS,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said. “Today’s sentence will further ensure that Bahnasawy remains in prison, where he can do much less harm, for a very long time.” FBI Assistant Director Jarod Brown of the Counterterrorism Division added that the case underscores the Bureau’s commitment to holding accountable those who support ISIS ideology, even from behind bars.

El Bahnasawy’s original plot unfolded in 2016 when, as a 20-year-old, he used encrypted messaging apps to coordinate with co-conspirators overseas. He traveled from Canada to the New York area, acquired bomb-making materials, and mapped potential attack sites before FBI agents arrested him. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 40 years plus lifetime supervised release.

His defense attorney, Andy Frisch, has long argued that severe mental illness — including schizophrenia and psychotic disorders confirmed by government experts — drove the prison attack. Frisch claims El Bahnasawy suffered a psychotic episode after Bureau of Prisons officials ignored repeated warnings from his parents about the need for medication and treatment. The lawyer blamed prolonged segregation, transfers between facilities, and inadequate psychiatric care for worsening his client’s condition. “He’s not a terrorist,” Frisch told reporters, adding that the family is considering appeal options. He further urged the United States to rethink how it manages mentally ill inmates.

The sentencing comes as El Bahnasawy’s mother, Khadiga (also referred to as Khdiga) Metwally, campaigns for a seat on the Halton District School Board in Ontario.

El Bahnasawy is currently held at the ultra-maximum-security ADX Florence facility in Colorado. With consecutive sentences totaling 90 years, he is expected to remain incarcerated for the rest of his life.