mohamadist Sentenced To Thirty Years

US man in Bush murder plot sentenced to 30 years

Wed Mar 29, 2006 3:59 PM ET
By Caroline Drees
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (Reuters) -

A federal judge sentenced a U.S. citizen convicted of plotting to assassinate President George W. Bush and conspiring with al Qaeda to 30 years in prison on Wednesday.

In November, Abu Ali, now 25, was found guilty of all charges in a nine-count indictment, including conspiracy to assassinate Bush, conspiring to support al Qaeda and conspiracy to hijack aircraft.

"The court is sentencing you to 360 months, which is 30 years in prison," said U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee. The sentence will be followed by 30 years of supervised release, Lee said. Prosecutors had sought a life sentence for Abu Ali.

However, the judge noted that no one in the United States was injured in these plots, and no weapons were ever found in Abu Ali's possession.

In arguing for life imprisonment, prosecuting attorney David Laufman said, "It is simply chilling to contemplate that this defendant might ever walk the streets of this country again ... Al Qaeda could not have found a more ideal operative to carry out terrorist attacks inside the United States."