Second in group of six terrorist suspects sentenced for attending al-Qaida training camp

Associated Press ^ | Dec 04, 2003 | Carolyn Thompson

[witnesstothefall]

BUFFALO, New York -- A second member of a group of six Yemeni-American men from the Buffalo suburb of Lackawanna was sentenced to eight years in prison Thursday for supporting terrorism.

Yasein Taher, 25, admitted he trained with al-Qaida in Afghanistan in the months before the Sept. 11 attacks.

"I'd just like to apologize to the court, my family, the community, and most importantly my country," Taher said. "I know I've let a lot of people down."

He was the second member of the group that became known as the Lackawanna Six - all young Yemeni-American men recruited to Osama bin Laden's al-Farooq camp in the spring of 2001 - to be sentenced. Mukhtar al-Bakri received 10 years in prison Wednesday. Al-Bakri completed the training; Taher did not.

The sentences for all six men had already been negotiated with federal prosecutors earlier this year. The other defendants are due in court over the next two weeks.

Taher pleaded guilty in May to providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. He admitted he was trained in the use of weapons at the camp and said he was approached by a fellow trainee looking for volunteers for suicide missions.

He and the others were arrested in September 2002 after authorities were tipped to their travels by an anonymous letter.

Taher's attorney, Rodney Personius, said Taher tried to leave the training camp within two weeks of arriving and described his attendance as "a tragic lapse in judgment."

All six have agreed to cooperate in terrorism investigations. Prosecutors have called the information valuable.

The sentencing comes one day after a federal appeals court in California overturned part of the little-used federal law that prohibits giving money, weapons or other tangible support to foreign groups designated by the U.S. government as terrorist organizations.

The court ruled that it is unconstitutional to punish people for providing "training" or "personnel" to a terror group, saying those categories are too broad.

The ruling does not apply to the Lackawanna cases, but they could be affected if the California ruling is heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.

[witnesstothefall]

"I'd just like to apologize to the court, my family, the community, and most importantly my country," Taher said.

If country is most important, why is it the last one the terrorist listed? Crocodile tears for the benefit of the parole board.

[sgtbono2002]

Some of the criminals in General population may be criminals but they are still Americans, this guy is scared of meeting some of these and the apology is meant for them.