Phoenix, Arizona - Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and the Phoenix Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced today the first successful prosecution of a state level Terrorism charge in Arizona. A judge sentenced 18-year-old Mahin Khan to 8 years in prison for plotting a terrorist attack at a Motor Vehicle Division office in Maricopa County. Khan will be placed on lifetime probation after his release from prison.
“Justice was served, we prevented a terrorist attack in Arizona,” said Attorney General Mark Brnovich. “We have a duty to do everything we can to protect our community from extremist acts. I’d like to thank our partners at the FBI & the JTTF for their diligent work on this case.”
“Mahin Khan is another young individual in the U.S. who was inspired to commit acts of violence. This case illustrates the evolving nature of the terrorist threat today," said Michael DeLeon, Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Office. “We want the community to know that this case is an example of the successful collaborative efforts among the JTTF, FBI, state and federal partners. The partnership that exists between these agencies is essential as we join together with a common goal, to protect the city and its citizens from those who wish to do us harm.”
In October 2016, Mahin Khan pled guilty to Terrorism, Conspiracy to Commit Terrorism, and Conspiracy to Commit Misconduct Involving Weapons. Khan was indicted in July 2016 after an investigation by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. The charges stem from an investigation into Khan’s repeated communication and conspiracy with an individual whom he believed to be a fighter with ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) to obtain weapons including pipe bombs or pressure cooker bombs, and to commit an act of terror in Maricopa County.