17 Facts About Tarik Shah

Tarik Shah is an African American Muslim with a career as a professional jazz musician.

Tarik Shah is a composer, a jazz educator, and lyricist.

An expert in martial arts, Mr Tarik Shah was arrested in May 2005 at the age of 42 in New York City, accused and eventually charged with providing aid for terrorist activity based on evidence from an FBI sting.

Tarik Shah pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Tarik Shah began learning to play double bass at age twelve and went on to study with Slam Stewart.

In 1984, Tarik Shah toured across Europe with Betty Carter and worked with Ahmad Jamal, Abbey Lincoln, and Rahn Burton after his return.

Tarik Shah later played with the Duke Ellington Orchestra alongside Red Rodney, Sir Roland Hanna, Harold Vick, and Dr Lonnie Smith.

Tarik Shah worked with Vanessa Rubin, the World Saxophone Quartet, and Hamiet Bluiett.

Tarik Shah attained the level of Master in Vee Arnis Jitsu, a style of Filipino martial arts, and Sanuces Ryu Jujutsu, a style of American Jiu Jitsu.

Tarik Shah was arrested by the FBI in a sting operation that began in 2001.

Tarik Shah pleaded guilty in 2007 to one count of conspiring to provide aid to a known foreign terrorist organization, namely al-Qaeda.

Tarik Shah was released from prison after 13 years in March 2018.

Finally in 2005, Tarik Shah was arrested by the FBI on two charges of conspiracy to provide material support to a known foreign terrorist organization after Ali Soufan, who at the time was the undercover FBI agent posing as an Al-Qaeda recruiter, urged Tarik Shah to agree to provide knife-fighting training to Al-Qaeda members, and urged Sabir to agree to provide medical aid to them.

At that time, Tarik Shah was making child support payments but had arrears.

Tarik Shah was then held for 31 months in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York from 2005 until 2007.

Tarik Shah pleaded guilty in April 2007 to one count of conspiracy to provide aid to a known foreign terrorist organization.

Tarik Shah served his sentence in the medium- and then low-security Federal Correctional Institution at Petersburg, Virginia, and was released in March 2018 to a federal halfway house in Albany, New York.