U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, announced the sentencing of Ruslan Maratovich Asainov, a U.S. citizen and former Bay Ridge resident, to life imprisonment plus 70 years for providing material support to ISIS, resulting in death. “The defendant maintains his unrepentant allegiance to that hateful cause,” said Peace.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Attorney’s Office
A U.S. citizen and former Bay Ridge, Brooklyn resident, Ruslan Maratovich Asainov, was sentenced to life imprisonment plus an additional 70 years by United States District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis. The sentencing comes after Asainov was convicted on multiple counts, including providing material support to ISIS that resulted in death.
Asainov, who left his family behind in Brooklyn to join the terrorist organization in Syria, was convicted after a three-week trial in February 2023. He had served as a sniper and weapons instructor, involved in numerous battles in Syria between December 2013 and March 2019.
“The defendant committed his life to that terrorist organization and became a lethal sniper for ISIS in Syria, training many other ISIS members to shoot to kill as ISIS waged its brutal, barbaric campaign,” said Breon Peace, U.S. attorney for the EDNY. “To this day, the defendant maintains his unrepentant allegiance to that hateful cause.”
After leaving Brooklyn in December 2013, Asainov left his wife and daughter behind and flew from JFK Airport to Istanbul. By early January 2014, he had traveled to northern Syria and joined ISIS as a fighter.
Over the course of five years, he participated in several battles across regions such as Kobani, Tabqa, and Raqqa. Asainov received military training in firearms and rocket-propelled grenades, and eventually rose to the rank of a sniper trainer for the group.
While in Syria, Asainov attempted to recruit another individual from the U.S. and sought funds for purchasing a rifle scope. He openly communicated his allegiance…
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