ISIS-inspired prisoner gets 50 more years for stabbing guards with desk weapon

SHOTS Desk · Wed · 21 Oct 2026 · 04:40 · Reported

Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, 28, of Ontario, Canada, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for a December 7, 2020 attack on two corrections officers at U.S. Penitentiary Allenwood. The new sentence runs consecutive to the 40-year term he is already serving for plotting a mass-casualty ISIS attack in New York City.

Bahnasawy stabbed one officer in the head and face with a weapon made from part of a steel desk, then stabbed a second officer in the hand when she came to assist. The first officer lost his right eye. A note found in Bahnasawy's sock read "This is a terrorist attack for the Islamic State," and a pledge of allegiance to ISIS was found taped inside a locker in his cell.

Bahnasawy pleaded guilty in November 2025 to assault, assault with intent to commit murder, possession of contraband in a prison, and providing material support to ISIS. He was originally arrested in May 2016 after traveling from Canada to the New York City area in preparation for planned bombings and shootings du

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ISIS-inspired prisoner gets 50 more years for stabbing guards with desk weapon · SHOTS