Davud Ansariy, a citizen of Uzbekistan and naturalized citizen of the United States, also known as “Kozimjon Gafurov” and “Kozim,” will be arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Lara K. Eshkenazi on an indictment charging him with one count of conspiring to and one count of provision of material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and Al-Nusrah Front (ANF), both foreign terrorist organizations at the time of the charged conduct. Ansariy was extradited to the Eastern District of New York from Tbilisi, Georgia on Sept. 23, 2026 where he was arrested in August 2026. Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) announced the charges and extradition. “More than a decade ago, the defendant fled the United States in an effort to evade justice for his extremely serious crimes,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “As alleged, the defendant facilitated an expansive network that sought to finance the travel of foreign fighters to wage violent jihad. His extradition and prosecution should serve as a reminder that our Office and our law enforcement partners will work relentlessly to hold accountable those who would provide support to terrorists seeking to harm the United States. Ansariy will now face justice for his actions in a United States courtroom.”

Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI Office of the Law Enforcement Attache in Tbilisi and the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia which secured the arrest and extradition of Ansariy. “After a decade on the run, Ansariy is back in the United States where he must answer to the charge that he supported two of the most ruthless terrorist groups in the world, ISIS and the al‑Nusrah Front,” stated Assistant Attorney General Eisenberg. “As alleged in the indictment, Ansariy ran a network that raised money, arranged travel, and paved the way for individuals who hoped to fight for these foreign terrorist organizations. We thank our partners, domestic and otherwise, for helping us to ensure that terrorists are apprehended wherever they hide.”

“Ansariy’s era as a fugitive from justice has come to an end after nearly a decades’ long search by the FBI and our partner agencies,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle. “The FBI will not relent in its mission to protect the homeland, by rooting out extremists who support these violent terrorist organizations. By cutting off the stream of money overseas to ISIS and ANF, we weaken their network, and send a strong message to their followers: they can run, but they cannot hide from the FBI.”

According to court filings, Ansariy was the leader of a group of radicalized individuals, based primarily in Brooklyn, New York, who either planned to travel to Syria to become ISIS or ANF fighters, and/or who financed the travel of aspiring fighters. The government’s investigation uncovered an extensive financial support network that raised money for those seeking to travel to Syria to join and fight for foreign terrorist organizations. The network’s participants referred to the group as “chayxona,” an Uzbek word which translates to “tea house” or “tea party.” The group also raised money to help support the families that fighters left behind when they traveled to Syria, and to help support the widows and families of those who were killed fighting. As a result of these “tea party” collections, Ansariy and others funded the travel of at least three individuals to Syria in 2013. All three are believed to have been killed in Syria. In May 2016, Ansariy departed the United States for Turkey on a one-way ticket that he purchased the previous day, just five days after the arrest of one of Ansariy’s co-conspirators. Ansariy did not return to the United States until his extradition. A federal grand jury in Brooklyn returned an indictment against the defendant in November 2021. The charges in the indictment are allegations and Ansariy is presumed innocent until proven guilty. If convicted of the charges, Ansariy faces up to 35 years in prison.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorney Lindsey R. Oken is in charge of the prosecution and was assisted by Assistant United States Attorney Irisa Chen, Trial Attorney Joseph Kaster of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, and former Assistant United States Attorney Douglas Pravda. The Defendant:DAVUD ANSARIY (also known as “Kozimjon Gafurov” and “Kozim”)Age: 41UzbekistanE.

D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-594 (WFK)

ansariy_indictment.pdf

ansariy_detention_letter.pdf