A former University of Alabama student was sentenced to 90 months in prison Wednesday for “concealing the transmission of funds to be provided as material support to al-Qaida,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
The DOJ said Alaa Mohd Abusaad, 26, instructed an undercover FBI agent about how to send money to jihadists in a way that would fly under the radar of law enforcement. This included using fake names and addresses when transferring money electronically.
The DOJ accused Abusaad of saying that money “... is always needed. You can’t have a war without weapons. You can’t prepare a soldier without equipment.” She also introduced the undercover officer to a financial facilitator who she claimed could route money to "brothers that work with al-Qaida.”
Following her 90-month prison sentence, Abusaad will have 10 years of supervised release.
According to WKRG, Abusaad was born in Chicago and moved to Tuscaloosa when she was 10. She attended the University of Alabama before marrying and moving to Ohio in 2018. She was arrested that year and has since been held at the Shelby County Jail.
Abusaad pleaded guilty to charges of concealment of terrorism financing in 2019. The FBI’s Birmingham, Memphis and Cleveland Field offices investigated the case.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email will.blakely@1819news.com.
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