A Kuwaiti-born cleric who sat with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan hours after the attacks on the US on Sept. 11, 2001, and later became a fiery spokesman for the al-Qaeda leader, was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday by a federal judge in Manhattan.
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, 48, who was the most senior adviser to bin Laden to be tried in a civilian court in the US since the attacks, was accused of giving voice to bin Laden’s recruitment drive for new young suicide bombers.
Before his sentence was delivered, Abu Ghaith, a son-in-law of bin Laden’s, offered no apology for his actions and did not ask for leniency. Instead, he told the judge that he would not “ask for mercy from anyone except God,” and warned of the repercussions that his imprisonment would bring.
“Islam is the religion that does not die when its followers die or get killed, and it does not come to a stop when they get captured or imprisoned,” he said. “At the same moment where you are shackling my hands and intend to bury me alive, you are at the same time unleashing the hands of hundreds of Muslim youth and you are removing the dust of their minds.”
“Soon, and very soon, the whole world will see the end of these theater plays that are also known as trials,” he added.
Abu Ghaith was convicted in March of three counts: conspiracy to kill US citizens, providing material support to terrorists and conspiring to do so.
US District Court judge Lewis Kaplan told Abu Ghaith at the sentencing: “You sir, in my assessment, are committed to doing everything you can to assist in carrying out al-Qaeda’s agenda of killing Americans — guilty or innocent, combatant or noncombatant, adult or babies, without regard to the carnage that’s caused.”
Kaplan added that Abu Ghaith had shown “no remorse whatsoever,” nor any doubt “about the justification for what was done.” And, the judge added, “as recently as 15 minutes ago, you continue to threaten,” referring to the defendant’s courtroom statement.
The trial had been widely watched, in part because the decision to prosecute Abu Ghaith in the civilian court system had been criticized by some members of the US Congress, who argued that he should have been held by the military for intelligence purposes.
US Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement that the “trial, conviction and sentencing have underscored the power” of the civilian courts “to deliver swift and certain justice in cases involving terrorism defendants.”
“We will continue to rely on this robust and proven system to hold accountable anyone who would harm our nation and its people,” Holder added.
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