{"id":17690,"date":"2015-11-24T12:26:53","date_gmt":"2015-11-24T20:26:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=17690"},"modified":"2015-11-24T12:26:53","modified_gmt":"2015-11-24T20:26:53","slug":"al-qaeda-terrorist-sentenced-to-40-years-for-role-terrorist-plot-against-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=17690","title":{"rendered":"Al Qaeda Terrorist Sentenced to 40 Years for Role in Terrorist Plot Against U.S. and Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n

\"U.S.<\/a>A federal judge today sentenced an Al-Qaeda terrorist to 40 years in prison for his role in a terrorist plot against U.S. and Europe, officials said.<\/p>\n

U.S. District Judge Raymond J. Dearie<\/strong> sentenced\u00a0 Abid Naseer<\/strong>, 29, for leading a plan to carry out a bombing of a crowded shopping center in Manchester, England, during the Easter holiday as part of an international terror plot by al Qaeda, according to authorities.<\/p>\n

Officials said the defendant and his accomplices came within days of executing a plot that was directed by senior al-Qaeda leaders in Pakistan.<\/p>\n

Naseer is the eighth defendant to face charges in federal court related to the al-Qaeda plot, which also involved Adis Medunjanin, Najibullah Zazi<\/strong> and Zarein Ahmedzay,<\/strong> the three members of the cell that targeted New York City, officials said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis al-Qaeda plot was intended by the group\u2019s leaders and Naseer to send a message to the United States and its allies,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Robert Capers.\u00a0<\/strong> \u201cToday\u2019s sentence sends an even more powerful message in response: terrorists who target the U.S. and its allies will be held accountable for their violent crimes to the full extent of the law.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Authorities said Naseer was convicted in March after a three-week jury trial of providing material support to al-Qaeda, conspiring to provide material support to al-Qaeda and conspiring to use a destructive device in relation to a crime of violence.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbid Naseer was part of an al Qaeda conspiracy that targeted Western countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, for terrorist attack,\u201d said Assistant Attorney General John Carlin.\u00a0<\/strong> \u201cHis conviction and sentence reflect our dedication to identifying and holding accountable those who seek to target the United States and its allies.\u00a0 I want to thank the many agents, analysts and prosecutors who are responsible for this successful result.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Naseer<\/a>
A surveillance photo of Abid Naseer, right, used as government evidence.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A New York Times report<\/a> stated that Naseer, a middle-class Pakistani and a skilled cricket player<\/a>, joined Al Qaeda as an adult, according to trial testimony and evidence.<\/p>\n

The Times report stated that Naseer moved to Manchester, and was arrested by British authorities there in 2009. The Qaeda scheme he was part of included the attack on the shopping center, along with coordinated attacks on the New York City subway system and a Danish newspaper.<\/p>\n

The British authorities released him because of a lack of evidence. He was indicted in Federal District Court in Brooklyn in 2010, and he was\u00a0extradited to New York<\/a> in 2013, the Times reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis case demonstrates the importance of a closely coordinated international law enforcement approach to an established terrorist network that knows no borders,\u201d said New York City Police Commissioner William J. Bratton.<\/strong>\u00a0 \u201cThe manner in which these defendants communicated their deadly plans reinforces the need to allow law enforcement the necessary authority and tools to prevent these plots from succeeding in their objectives of mass destruction and death.\u00a0 I commend our local and international partners in preventing these acts and securing convictions of those responsible for plotting them.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is the evidence against Naseer that was presented in court:<\/strong><\/p>\n