A Pakistani national, Muhammad Pahlawan, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison by a U.S. judge after a jury found him guilty of smuggling Iranian‑made weapons to Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The Justice Department announced the verdict Thursday. U.S. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg, U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, FBI Counterterrorism Director Donald Holstead and FBI Washington Field Office head Darren Cox all released the statement. Judge David Novak, who approved the sentence, had heard the case in Virginia.
The jury convicted Pahlawan on June 5 for conspiring to give material support to terrorists, helping Iran’s weapons‑of‑mass‑destruction program and delivering explosives to the Houthis. He also admitted to aiding the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and threatening his team aboard the vessel.
On the night of Jan. 11, 2024, U.S. Central Command Navy forces from the USS Lewis B. Puller—along with Coast Guard SEALs—boarded a small, unflagged dhow in the Arabian Sea off Somalia. They found 14 crew members on board, including Pahlawan. During the seizure, the crew was handed Iranian‑made missile parts, anti‑ship cruise missile components and a warhead. The weapons matched those used by Houthis against merchant and U.S. ships after the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel.
The authorities said Pahlawan lied to the boarding team, ordered others to lie, and threatened the lives of sailors and their families. Two Navy SEALs, Christopher Chambers and Nathan Gage Ingram, lost their lives in the operation.
According to the department’s statement, Pahlawan’s January 2024 trip was part of a broader smuggling effort that began in August 2023. He worked with two Iranian brothers—Shahab and Yunus Mir’kazei—linked to the IRGC, to move weapons from Iran to Houthi forces in Yemen.
The 40‑year sentence underscores the U.S. commitment to stopping the flow of Iranian weapons to hostile groups in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden region.
Source: ianslive
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