Zachary Clark, a Brooklyn resident, recently appeared in a Manhattan federal court on charges of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and distributing bomb-making instructions.
The charges have a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
According to the criminal complaint, Clark pledged allegiance to ISIS twice and in March, disseminated ISIS propaganda that included calls to commit lone wolf attacks in New York City. Clark provided guidance that included posting detailed instructions about constructing an explosive device.
“As alleged, Clark championed his support for ISIS, disseminated hate-filled messages via encrypted chatrooms, and encouraged like-minded individuals to carry out vicious attacks in the name of jihad,” William F. Sweeney Jr., FBI assistant director-in-charge, said. “While today’s arrest reminds us that there are still people out there who embrace the idea of inflicting harm on others in this way, it also presents evidence of the dedication and resolve of the FBI’s JTTF here in New York who, along with our many partners, successfully confronts threats of this nature head-on, day in and day out.”
The FBI’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit is handling the prosecution with assistance from National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section trial attorneys.