A terrorism-financing case against a Yemeni cleric, which the U.S. government once claimed as a major victory against al-Qaeda, came to a murky end Friday as a federal judge ordered him to be released and deported, despite his 2005 sentence to 75 years in a maximum-security U.S. prison.
Sheik Mohammed al-Moayad, 60, a high-ranking political leader in Yemen, had been convicted after a five-week federal trial in New York City of conspiracy, providing material support to Hamas and attempting to support al-Qaeda. His assistant and bodyguard, Mohamed Zayed, who is in his mid-30s, had been convicted of attempting to provide material support to Hamas.
In October, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit overturned the convictions, saying U.S. District Judge Sterling Johnson Jr., improperly admitted evidence during the trial that prejudiced the jury. In new plea deals, both defendants pleaded guilty Friday only to conspiring to provide material support to Hamas. U.S. District Judge Dora L. Irizarry sentenced them to the time they have served, most recently at the federal "supermax" prison in Florence, Colo.
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