By: Ebenezer Adugyamfi & Emmanuel Ayiku for GhanaianNewsCanada
22 OCTOBER 2026
A Canadian man serving a lengthy prison sentence for plotting a terrorist attack in New York City has been sentenced to an additional 50 years in a United States federal prison after stabbing two correctional officers in an attack prosecutors said was carried out in support of the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS.
Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, 28, from Ontario, received the sentence on October 19, 2026, for the December 2020 assault at the United States Penitentiary Allenwood in Pennsylvania.
The new sentence will run consecutively to the 40-year prison term he was already serving for his role in plotting mass-casualty attacks in New York City in 2016.
The latest ruling brings the combined prison sentences imposed on El Bahnasawy to 90 years. The additional sentence follows his guilty plea in November 2025 to several offences connected to the prison attack, including assault, assault with intent to commit murder, possessing contraband in prison and providing material support to ISIS.
The case has renewed attention on the risks correctional officers face when dealing with inmates convicted of terrorism-related offences, as well as the ability of extremist violence to continue behind prison walls.
How the prison attack happened
According to the United States Department of Justice, El Bahnasawy attacked two correctional officers on December 7, 2020, while incarcerated at the federal prison in Allenwood.
Prosecutors said he fashioned a weapon from part of a steel desk inside his prison cell and used it to attack the officers.
One officer was stabbed in the head and face. A second officer, who intervened to assist the first, was stabbed in the hand.
The injuries suffered by the first officer were particularly severe. He eventually lost his right eye as a result of the attack.
The incident was treated as more than an ordinary assault inside a correctional facility because investigators uncovered evidence linking it to ISIS.
After El Bahnasawy was restrained, authorities found a note in his sock stating that the attack was a terrorist act for the Islamic State. Investigators also discovered a pledge of allegiance to ISIS taped to the inside of a locker door in his prison cell.
Those findings became important elements of the prosecution’s case.
The Justice Department said the attack demonstrated that the threat associated with extremist violence could persist even after a person had been imprisoned for an earlier terrorism offence.
The 2016 plot targeting New York City
El Bahnasawy was already serving a 40-year sentence for his involvement in a plot to carry out mass-casualty terrorist attacks in New York City.
According to U.S. authorities, the plot developed in 2016 and involved El Bahnasawy and two other individuals, Talha Haroon and Russell Salic.
Prosecutors said the men planned bombings and shootings in heavily populated areas of New York City during Ramadan, the Islamic holy month. The alleged objective was to conduct attacks on behalf of ISIS.
The investigation involved an undercover FBI agent who posed as an ISIS supporter willing to participate in the planned attacks.
The operation allowed investigators to gather information about the plot and the individuals involved.
El Bahnasawy was arrested in May 2016 after travelling from Canada to the New York City area in preparation for the planned attacks. He has remained in custody since his arrest.
He was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2018 for his role in the terrorism plot.
The new sentence relates to a separate offence committed while he was already serving that term.
Why the additional sentence will run consecutively
A consecutive sentence is one that begins after another sentence has been completed, rather than being served at the same time.
In El Bahnasawy’s case, the 50-year sentence for attacking the correctional officers will follow his existing 40-year sentence.
This means the court has imposed a combined total of 90 years in prison across the two cases, rather than simply adding a concurrent term that runs alongside the original sentence.
The sentencing reflects the seriousness of the prison assault and the separate criminal conduct that occurred after his conviction for the New York plot.
U.S. prosecutors said the ruling was intended to hold El Bahnasawy accountable for the attack and reinforce that terrorism-related violence would be prosecuted even when committed inside a prison.
The exact practical effect of the sentences on his eventual release prospects depends on the applicable federal rules and any other relevant legal developments. The combined sentence total alone should not be treated as a definitive calculation of his release date.
U.S. officials respond to the ruling
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said El Bahnasawy had attacked correctional officers while already serving a substantial sentence for plotting mass-casualty attacks in New York.
U.S. Attorney Brian D. Miller for the Middle District of Pennsylvania said the case demonstrated the government’s commitment to prosecuting people who commit violence in support of ISIS, including inside correctional facilities.
Jarod Brown, assistant director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, also highlighted the seriousness of the assault and the injuries suffered by the officers.
The FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office investigated the case. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the Justice Department’s National Security Division handled the prosecution.
The Justice Department’s announcement confirmed that El Bahnasawy pleaded guilty in November 2025 before receiving the additional sentence in October 2026.
What the case means for prison security
The attack highlights the challenges correctional institutions face in preventing violence, including incidents involving inmates who have been convicted of terrorism-related crimes.
Prisons must manage the risk of assaults against staff while maintaining security, enforcing institutional rules and preventing inmates from obtaining or manufacturing weapons.
The use of a weapon made from part of a steel desk also illustrates the difficulties of eliminating every potential source of improvised weapons inside a correctional facility.
For correctional officers, such attacks can result in life-changing injuries, as demonstrated by the officer who lost his right eye.
The case also raises questions about how authorities monitor extremist activity in custody and respond when evidence suggests that an inmate remains committed to a violent ideology.
However, the details released by prosecutors do not, by themselves, establish that every terrorism-convicted inmate presents the same level of risk. Prison security decisions must be based on the circumstances and evidence relating to individual cases.
A Canadian citizen held in the United States
El Bahnasawy’s case has drawn attention in Canada because he is a Canadian citizen from Ontario, but the offences were prosecuted in the United States.
The original plot targeted New York City, and the later assault occurred at a federal prison in Pennsylvania. U.S. authorities therefore handled both prosecutions.
His case demonstrates how terrorism investigations can cross national borders when alleged plots involve travel, international contacts and intended targets in another country.
It also underlines the distinction between a person’s nationality and the jurisdiction in which criminal conduct is prosecuted. Canadian citizenship does not prevent U.S. authorities from prosecuting offences committed within their jurisdiction.
The latest development
The additional 50-year sentence marks a significant new development in a case that began with the 2016 New York City terrorism plot and continued with the violent prison assault four years later.
El Bahnasawy is now serving a combined 90-year term across the two cases, with the latest sentence ordered to follow the original 40-year sentence.
The assault left one correctional officer without his right eye and injured a second officer. Prosecutors also presented evidence that the attack was intended as an act in support of ISIS.
The ruling reinforces the legal consequences of committing further serious offences while incarcerated, particularly when prosecutors establish a connection to terrorism.
