Mahin Khan Pleads Guilty to Terrorism Charges

PHOENIX - Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and the Phoenix Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced 18 year old Mahin Khan pled guilty to Terrorism, Conspiracy to Commit Terrorism, and Conspiracy to Commit Misconduct Involving Weapons. This is the first prosecution of a state level Terrorism charge in Arizona.

“The Attorney General's Office is working very closely with the FBI to arrest and prosecute anyone plotting or planning a terrorist attack in our community," said Attorney General Mark Brnovich. “We need to stop these homegrown terrorist plots before innocent lives are lost.”  

“The FBI is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to protect the nation and our communities from terrorist attacks”, said Michael DeLeon, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Phoenix Field Office. “I again want to commend the work of the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Federal, State, and local law enforcement partners and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. The FBI Phoenix Field Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and the community to gather, share, and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention.”

In July 2016, Khan was indicted on Terrorism, Conspiracy to Commit Terrorism, and Conspiracy to Commit Misconduct Involving Weapons after an investigation by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force which includes agents from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office Special Investigations Section.

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 at a Motor Vehicle Division office in Maricopa County.

Khan will be sentenced on November 04, 2016.  He faces a mandatory prison term under the plea of 7 to 14 years. Khan is also mandated under the plea to be placed on probation for up to his lifetime after his release from prison to ensure he is supervised while in the community.

Arizona Attorneys General Blaine Gadow and Scott Blake are prosecuting this case.

As always, we remind the public to remain vigilant and report suspected terrorist or criminal activity online at tips.fbi.gov.

Full copy of Khan's plea agreement.