U.S. prosecutors revealed last week that Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, 19, of Mississauga, Ont. confessed to an ISIS-inspired plot to target key New York City landmarks.
In the confession, which was made a year ago, El Bahnasawy said he traveled from Canada to the U.S. and planned to carry out attacks on Times Square and the New York City subway system.
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Despite El Bahnasawy claiming he felt “well” when questioned about his mental health prior to the guilty plea, his lawyer claimed he had “serious mental health and substance abuse issues,” according to court documents.
Read the transcript of Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy’s guilty plea in U.S. Court on Oct. 13, 2016:
El Bahnasawy: “In the spring of 2016, I agreed with others to carry out an attack in Times Square, to support ISIL; specifically, we agreed to try to set off a bomb in Times Square. I used the Internet and sent materials through the mail in furtherance of the conspiracy, and I also traveled from Canada to the United States.”
Judge: “Was one of the targets of your activities, intended targets, the New York City Subway system?”
El Bahnasawy: “Yes.”
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Judge: “Did you know that ISIL … was a foreign terrorist organization?”
El Bahnasawy: “Yes, I knew that.”
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Judge: “Did you understand that what you were doing and attempting to do was wrong and unlawful.”
El Bahnasawy: “Yes, I did.”
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Judge: “Mr. El Bahnasawy, are you pleading guilty to these seven crimes charged because you are in fact guilty of them?”
El Bahnasawy: “Yes.”
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Judge: “It is the finding of this court … that Mr. El Bahnasawy is fully competent and capable of entering today’s guilty plea, and that the plea of guilty is a knowing and voluntary plea.”