Fort Bend man sentenced for receiving military training from a designated foreign terrorist organization

HOUSTON - A 34-year-old resident of Sugar Land has been ordered to federal prison for his conviction related to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Warren Christopher Clark pleaded guilty Oct. 10, 2023.

U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. has now ordered Clark to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by a lifetime of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court imposed a terrorism enhancement, noting how Clark’s criminal and irresponsible behavior betrayed the values of this country and that he hoped Clark served every second of his sentence.

“In the interests of national security, our laws prohibit Americans from receiving military training from designated foreign terrorist organizations. Warren Clark ran afoul of those laws when he illegally crossed the border into Syria and underwent military training from ISIS, a brutal terrorist organization,” said Hamdani. “Thanks to international partnerships, Clark was brought back to the United States to face the consequences for his crimes in a Southern District of Texas courtroom.”

“By seeking and receiving military training from a foreign terrorist organization, Clark, a former teacher, betrayed his nation and allied himself with one of the most violent U.S. adversaries,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams of the FBI Houston field office. “Protecting the American people from terrorism is the FBI’s number one priority. As the lead U.S. agency for combating international and domestic terrorism, the FBI continues to work with our partners and use all necessary resources to get ahead of the threats and protect our communities, especially as the threat is constantly evolving.”

As part of his plea, Clark admitted knowing ISIS was a foreign terrorist organization. Regardless, he traveled overseas and receiving military training from them.  

Clark admitted he illegally traveled from Turkey into Syria where he took mandatory religious and military training. In correspondence to his family, Clark indicated he was living happily abroad and would not return to the United States unless “the Islamic State conquers the US,” noting he thought he would be imprisoned here if he did come back.

He later called himself a citizen of the Islamic State and renounced his U.S. citizenship.

Clark has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and police departments in Houston and Sugar Land conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys S. Mark McIntyre and Craig M. Feazel prosecuted the case along with Trial Attorney Michael J. Dittoe of the Department of Justice Counter Terrorism Section.