From the U.S. Attorney:
CHICAGO MAN CONVICTED OF CONSPIRING TO PROVIDE MATERIAL SUPPORT TO FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION
CHICAGO — A Chicago man was convicted in federal court today of conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) by using social media to encourage attacks on ISIS’s enemies and recruit new ISIS members.
ASHRAF AL SAFOO was a leader of Khattab Media Foundation, a sophisticated online organization that swore allegiance to ISIS and created and disseminated threats and ISIS propaganda on social media and other online platforms.
Al Safoo and other members of Khattab created and posted pro-ISIS videos, articles, essays, and infographics at the direction of, and in coordination with, ISIS.
Much of Khattab’s propaganda promoted violent jihad on behalf of ISIS, which has been designated by the United States government as a foreign terrorist organization.
In one posting, Al Safoo encouraged Khattab members to post pro-ISIS information “to cause confusion and spread terror within the hearts of those who disbelieved.”
In another posting, Al Safoo wrote, “Work hard, brothers, edit the issue into short clips, take the pictures out of it and publish the efforts of your brothers in the pages of the apostates. Participate in the war, and spread terror, the [Islamic] State does not want you to watch it only, rather, it incites you, and if you are unable to, use it to incite others.”
Many of Khattab’s postings included images of violence, celebrations of terrorist attacks and mass shootings in the United States, and encouragement for “lone wolf” attacks in western countries.
Al Safoo, 41, was arrested in Chicago in 2018.
After a bench trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago in 2025, U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey today announced his verdicts, finding Al Safoo guilty of
- one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization,
- one count of conspiracy to transmit threats in interstate commerce,
- one count of conspiracy to intentionally access a protected computer without authorization,
- four counts of intentionally accessing a protected computer without authorization, and
- four counts of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
The convictions carry a maximum sentence of 130 years in federal prison. Judge Blakey set sentencing for Oct. 9, 2025.
The convictions were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security at the Department of Justice, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melody Wells, Barry Jonas, and Thomas P. Peabody of the Northern District of Illinois, and Trial Attorney Andrew J. Dixon of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
“Today’s conviction demonstrates that the safety and security of the American public is always a top priority for me and my entire Office,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros.
“The prosecution of Ashraf Al Safoo is a testament to the vigilance and dedication of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners who stand watch to disrupt and prevent dangerous threats before they materialize. We will vigorously pursue and bring to justice those who provide material support–in whatever form–to terrorist organizations.”
“The conviction of Al Safoo affirms the FBI’s strong commitment to protecting and defending the United States from anyone who seeks to harm our citizens,” said FBI Chicago SAC DePodesta.
“Those who willingly associate with terrorist organizations or support violent extremism will be investigated, disrupted, and held accountable. It is thanks to the FBI Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Force and its partner agencies that our community is safe from those who pose a fundamental threat to our nation.”
