Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, an Iranian living in Pennsylvania, United States of America, has been sentenced to more than 17 years in a federal prison for plotting to blow up a church in the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

According to a statement made available on the website of the US Justice Department, Alowemer, 24, planned the deadly bombing of a Nigerian Christian church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to “take revenge for his ISIS brothers in Nigeria”.

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After conceiving the idea in May 2019, Alowemer was said to have purchased several items, including nails and nail polish remover, while trying to assemble necessary components for the explosive device he wanted to build for the bombing.

During the same period, Alowemer also met four times with two FBI undercover agents, whom he thought were his converts willing to assist him in carrying out his plan.

During the meetings, the ISIS supporter provided details about the bomb plot, including the bombing materials he had purchased and printed copies of detailed Google satellite maps. The maps carried hand-written markings identifying the church and routes of arrival and escape.

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Alowemer, a refugee from Syria, also revealed his plans of personally carrying the explosives in a backpack to the church premises before he was arrested in July 2019.

Apart from his main motivation of “supporting the cause of ISIS”, Alowemer said the plot was also to inspire other ISIS supporters in the United States to join together and commit similar acts in the name of the group.

Alowemer is also to serve a lifetime of supervised release when he regains freedom.