A Manhattan federal court has ordered that a former New York City accountant, Sabirhan Hasanoff, who admitted to scoping out the New York Stock Exchange for al Qaeda be released from his 18-year prison sentence.
Hasanoff originally pleaded guilty in June 2012 to “one count of providing and attempting to provide material support and resources to al Qaeda, and one count of conspiracy to provide material support and resources to al Qaeda.”
According to the New York City Attorney, Hasanoff “not only funneled equipment capable of being used for nefarious purposes and thousands of dollars to al Qaeda operatives abroad, he also traveled to US soil to survey a major New York landmark for a potential terrorist attack.”
Judge Kimba Wood, who originally sentenced Hasanoff to 18 years back in 2012, is now the same judge who orders for his early release under a law allowing the early “compassionate release” of some prison inmates.
While Hasanoff’s crimes were “extremely serious,” Wood wrote that “this is a rare case in which a defendant exceeds the bounds of what is considered rehabilitation.”
