[3] He holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the College of Staten Island and worked as a network design contractor for Ericsson.

[2] According to the White House press secretary, Barack Obama was made aware of Ahmed's activities prior to his arrest.

[8][9] He also told undercover agents that he would be ready to conduct jihad against America in January 2011 after completing Hajj in November 2010.

He told operatives that he was willing to martyr himself and had taught himself martial arts, use of firearms, and knife and gun tactics, skills he offered to teach others.

[5] As a part of a plea bargain, the prosecutors dropped one of the charges and Ahmed who had faced up to 50 years in prison agreed to a 23-year sentence.