Pakistani national sentenced to long prison term for smuggling Iranian weapons to Houthis

A Pakistani national has been sentenced to years in federal prison for his part in running a smuggling ring that funneled Iranian-made advanced arms to the Houthis a deadly mission that led to the deaths of two U S Navy SEALs in the Arabian Sea A federal jury convicted Muhammad Pahlawan on June of conspiring to provide material endorsement and materials to terrorists and to Iran s weapons of mass destruction project including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps IRGC He was also unveiled guilty of conspiring to conveyance explosive devices to the Houthis knowing they would be used to cause harm and of threatening his crew According to court records U S Central Command Navy forces operating from the USS Lewis B Puller including Navy SEALs and members of the U S Coast Guard Maritime Precaution Response Gang East boarded a small vessel on Jan The boarding organization encountered people on the vessel including Pahlawan During the search they seized Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry including ballistic missile components anti-ship cruise missile components and a warhead PENTAGON SEEKS TRUMP APPROVAL FOR FIRST US MILITARY EXECUTION IN YEARS FOLLOWING FORT HOOD MASS SHOOTINGThe DOJ reported the type of weaponry uncovered on the vessel is consistent with arms used by Houthi rebel forces targeting merchant and U S military ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden after the Oct Hamas attack on Israel Pahlawan lied to the boarding gang and explained other crew members to lie threatening their lives and the lives of their families Two Navy SEALs Navy Special Warfare Operator st Class Christopher J Chambers and Navy Special Warfare Operator nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram died during the encounter The DOJ mentioned Ingram began climbing a ladder onto the boat when he slipped and fell into a gap created by waves between the vessel and the SEAL watercraft US STRIKES ANOTHER ALLEGED DRUG-TRAFFICKING BOAT NEAR VENEZUELA KILLING As Ingram went under Chambers jumped into the gap to try and save him The DOJ commented the Navy conducted an extensive search to find and rescue the SEALs but they were ultimately declared dead on Jan Pahlawan s trip that day was part of a larger operation the DOJ added explaining that from August through January he worked with two Iranian brothers Shahab Mir kazei and Yunus Mir kazei affiliated with the IRGC to smuggle materials from Iran to recipients including Houthi rebel forces in Yemen CHARGED AFTER SEIZURE OF SUSPECTED IRANIAN-MADE WEAPONS IN VESSEL THAT LED TO DEATHS OF NAVY SEALS DOJHe completed multiple smuggling missions by carrying cargo from Iran to the coast of Somalia where he transferred it to another vessel during nighttime ship-to-ship operations the DOJ announced Pahlawan also worked with Shahab and Yunus to prepare the vessel for multiple smuggling missions obtained coordinates from them for ship-to-ship transfers and was paid for his role in the operation On Feb the U S obtained arrest warrants for four of the foreign nationals identified as Pahlawan Mohammad Mazhar Ghufran Ullah and Izhar Muhammad The four men who were uncovered with Pakistani identification cards were transferred from the USS Lewis B Fuller to the Eastern District of Virginia Mazhar Ullah and Muhammad were also charged with providing materially false information to U S Coast Guard officers during the boarding of the vessel regarding the vessel s crew and or cargo