For his role in a plot to offer material assistance to ISIS, the Honorable Beth Bloom sentenced Emraan Ali, alias Abu Jihad Al-Trinidadi Al-Amriki, to 20 years in prison and 20 years of supervised release. Ali arranged a means to receive money in Syria, amassed $15,000 in cash while telling his children they were going on vacation, and melted down gold to make jewelry.
Ali and his family landed in Istanbul before journeying to Gaziantep. Ali made touch with his fellow plotters in Gaziantep and made plans to cross the border into Syria to join ISIS. Ali and his family enrolled with ISIS when they entered the area under their control and later settled in Manbij, Syria.
Ali and other English speakers traveled to Raqqa, Syria, in July 2015 to undergo ISIS religious and military training. He received an ISIS census number in the 12,000 range, a pair of boots, some socks, and an M4 rifle barrel. Ali was given the “Abu Jihad TNT” moniker after he went to Raqqa to join the Anwar al-Awlaki battalion.
Ali’s son, Jihad Mohammed Ali, received ISIS religious and military training in Raqqa between September and November 2015. Due to Ali’s health, he was eventually released from the Anwar al-Awlaki Kasbah and relocated to his family somewhere in Raqqa. While in Raqqa, Ali continued to offer material assistance to ISIS and contribute to its economy by becoming a merchant and helping with house construction.
He bought and sold weapons and supplies to ISIS fighters, furthering their military efforts. Ali was a Trinidadian ISIS warrior in Syria who sent money home and gave money to the group.
Ali relocated from Raqqa to Mayadin, Syria, at the end of 2017, when he joined an ISIS housing brigade and was issued an ID. Ali and his family relocated to Hajin, Syria, in 2018, when ISIS tasked Ali with building a well and operating a business. Ali relocated his family to Baghuz, Syria, the final remaining ISIS bastion, in late 2018 or early 2019.
Ali advised his fellow Trinidadian ISIS fighters to resist surrendering to the Coalition Forces in March 2019 so that they could easily migrate.
