UNION COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — A Canadian man was sentenced to 50 years in prison after carrying out an “ISIS-inspired assault” on correctional officers at a Pennsylvania penitentiary, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, 28, stabbed two corrections officers at U.S. Penitentiary Allenwood in December 2020. One of the officers lost his right eye as a result of the attack, the DOJ said in a release.
Investigators said they found a note in El Bahnasawy’s sock that read, “This is a terrorist attack for the Islamic State.”
El Bahnasawy pleaded guilty in November 2025 to multiple counts of assault, possession of contraband inside of a prison, and for providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
At the time of the attacks, El Bahnasawy was already serving a 40-year sentence for his role in planning a terrorist attack in New York City.
El Bahnasawy intended to conduct bombings and shooting in heavily populated areas of the city in 2016, but the FBI arrested him before he could act on his plans, according to the DOJ.
His new 50-year sentence will run consecutively with his previous sentence, the DOJ said.