Pennsylvania man gets 17 years in prison for helping ISIS plot attempted Pittsburgh church bombing

A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to 17-plus years in prison for helping ISIS plan a church bombing in Pittsburg that authorities foiled before it was executed, according to the Justice Department.

Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, 24, was sentence Tuesday to 208 months behind bars, after pleading guilty in September 2021 of attempting to support ISIS, the Islamic terror group also known as the Islamic State, in the plot, prosecutors said. 

"Alowemer admitted to planning a deadly bombing of a Pittsburgh church in the name of ISIS," Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen said.

Court documents show Alowemer planned on bombing a church in northern Pittsburgh in the name of ISIS with the hopes of inspiring other ISIS supporters to commit similar acts. He reportedly described the house of worship as a "Nigerian Christian" church, which he targeted specifically to "take revenge for our [ISIS] brothers in Nigeria."

Law enforcement discovered Alowemer's plan after he met four times with an undercover FBI agent and/or a confidential FBI source, prosecutors also said.