Free Republic

A federal judge in Ohio has handed down prison sentences of more than 10 years to two Toledo-area men involved in a terrorist plot that the government said targeted U.S. troops. Mohammad Amawi was sentenced to 20 years and Marwan El-Hindi was sentenced to 12 years. Both had faced up to life in prison. The two men and a third defendant were found guilty last year of plotting to recruit and train terrorists to kill American soldiers in Iraq. The third man has yet to be sentenced.

A jury on Friday convicted three men of Middle Eastern descent of plotting to recruit and train terrorists to kill American soldiers in Iraq. The men — Mohammad Amawi, 28, Marwan El-Hindi, 45, and Wassim Mazloum, 27 — face a maximum sentence of life in prison. Prosecutors said the men were learning to shoot guns and make explosives while raising money to fund their plans to wage a holy war against U.S. troops. Defense attorneys charged that the three defendants, who all lived in the Toledo area, were manipulated by a government informant. The jury returned its verdict after three...

Terror Trial Begins in Ohio …Federal prosecutors say the men, who live in Ohio, attended a Muslim convention in Cleveland during the summer of 2004 where they talked about training in explosives, guns and sniper tactics. The men were there with a former U.S. military man who worked undercover and helped foil the plot, said Gregg Sofer, a justice department attorney. At the convention, the men discussed a five-year plan to carry out their mission……(Reuters, 4 Mar 08)   

A federal grand jury has indicted three Ohio men on terrorism charges alleging they plotted to kill U.S. and coalition military personnel in Iraq and other countries. The three men were arrested over the weekend and were to be arraigned in federal courts in Cleveland and Toledo on Tuesday afternoon, said Assistant U.S. Attorney David Bauer. According to the indictment unsealed Monday, the three suspects recruited others to train for a violent holy war against the United States and its allies in Iraq. The indictment says they traveled together to a shooting range to practice shooting guns and studied how...