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| Terror suspect pleads guilty to material support charge |
| 2010-04-28 |
| A man who allowed a friend turned government cooperator to store camping equipment in his London apartment and then loaned him $300 to take it to an al-Qaida commander in Pakistan pleaded guilty late Tuesday on the eve of trial. Syed Hashmi, 30, a Pakistani-born naturalized U.S. citizen, spared himself a possible life sentence by admitting to one count of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to the terrorist group. Lawyers for Hashmi and prosecutors reached a plea deal Tuesday, with the government agreeing to drop substantive material support and other charges and Hashmi accepting a likely sentence of 15 years in prison, which would have him free by the time he turns 40. A smiling Hashmi shook hands with defense lawyers David Ruhnke, Anthony Ricco and Sean Maher after the guilty plea and before he was returned to 10 South, the so-called terrorism wing at New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center. His lawyers then hugged each other in obvious relief. "I just think this was the right thing to happen," Ruhnke said outside the courtroom. "The government was seeking 70 years and the guidelines were 30 years to life and we were terribly concerned this man was throwing his life away." Judge Loretta Preska was set for jury selection today following her Monday decision to grant the motion of prosecutors Brendan McGuire and John Hillebrecht for an anonymous jury, with the judge noting that Hashmi had "enthusiastically declared his support of jihad and the killing of non-Muslims." The defense opposed, saying it would stigmatize their client and subvert the presumption of innocence. The judge will sentence Mr. Hashmi on June 7, when Ruhnke said his client will leave the isolation cell in which he has lived for more than two years and be sent to a federal prison. "I've been in 10 South and I've been in Guantanamo Bay," the lawyer said, "and I would rather serve my time in Guantanamo Bay." |
| Posted by:ryuge |