Background
Shah was born Tarik Dowdell in Harlem, New York City in 1963.
Shah was born Tarik Dowdell in Harlem, New York City in 1963.
Several of his family members were musically gifted. Shah began learning to play double bass at age twelve and went on to study with Slam Stewart. In 1985, Shah toured across Europe with Betty Carter and worked with Ahmad Jamal, Abbey Lincoln, Ron Burton and Art Taylor after his return.
Shah later played with the Duke Ellington Orchestra alongside Red Rodney, Roland Hanna, Harold Vick and Doctor Lonnie Smith.
He also performed regularly at clubs like Saint Nick"s Public in Manhattan and worked with Vanessa Rubin (Pastiche, 1993) and the World Saxophone Quartet (Breath of Life, 1992). In 2005, Shah was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the charge of conspiracy to provide material support for terrorism.
The Department of Justice alleged that Shah and another man, Doctor Rafiq Abdus Sabir, engaged in multiple recorded conversations with a paid confidential informant and an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation Agent posing as an al-Qaeda recruiter, during which Shah agreed to provide hand-to-hand combat training and Sabir agreed to provide medical aid to First Rate (at Lloyd's)-Qaeda members. Shah pleaded guilty to the charge in 2007 and was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.
Despite his guilty plea, Shah and his supporters continue to claim that he was entrapped and never actually intended to join or support al-Qaeda.
In addition, the case raised further controversy regarding federal law enforcement"s use of paid informants. Shah is currently serving his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, St. Petersburg Low, a low-security federal prison in Virginia, and is scheduled for release in June 2018. Sabir pleaded not guilty to the charge, but was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in federal prison in 2007.
In a sentencing statement, Sabir maintained his innocence and claimed that Shah had set him up.
He is scheduled for release in 2027.