Brooklyn resident and high-level ISIS member sentenced to life in prison

July 20, 2023 Rob Abruzzese

U.S. District Courthouse in Downtown Brooklyn
Photo: Robert Abruzzese

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A former resident of Bay Ridge and a high-ranking member of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), was sentenced to life imprisonment in the federal courthouse in Downtown Brooklyn last Friday.

Mirsad Kandic, who is 41-years-old, was found guilty of conspiracy to provide material support to ISIS and several counts of providing material support in the forms of personnel, services, weapons, property, and equipment, including false documentation and identification. His life sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis following his conviction in May 2022.

Kandic, originally from Kosovo, lived in Brooklyn before leaving for Syria in 2013. His travels took him through several countries including Mexico, Panama, Brazil, Portugal, Germany, and Turkey. During his time in Brooklyn, and later in the Bronx, he held a significant role in recruiting, propagandizing, and supplying weapons for ISIS.

Kandic’s actions had a direct impact on local residents, including Ruslan Maratovich Asainov, another former resident of Brooklyn, who was recruited by Kandic and later became an ISIS sniper and trainer. Asainov was convicted in February 2023 and is currently awaiting sentencing.

Among Kandic’s other responsibilities within ISIS were recruiting foreign fighters, trafficking foreign fighters into Syria, and obtaining weapons, military equipment, and false identifications for ISIS fighters. Notably, Kandic was instrumental in the recruitment and smuggling of Australian citizen Jake Bilardi, who would later commit a suicide truck attack in Iraq in 2015, resulting in the death of over 30 Iraqi soldiers.

“Today’s sentence holds the defendant accountable for his conduct and ensures that he will never again pose a threat to the United States or any of our allies,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace. “This Office will remain relentless in prosecuting terrorists who threaten the safety and security of the United States and U.S. interests around the world.”