Judge expected to sentence al-Qaida sleeper agent in Ill., defense asks for immediate release
By APThursday, October 29, 2009
Al-Qaida sleeper agent to be sentenced in Ill.
PEORIA, Ill. — A federal judge in Illinois is expected to decided whether to send an admitted al-Qaida member to prison or grant his lawyers’ demands to set him free.
A sentencing hearing for 44-year-old Ali al-Marri (AH’-lee ahl-MAR’-ee) is scheduled Thursday in Peoria.
The Qatar native has admitted training in al-Qaida camps and having contact with those involved in the Sept. 11 attacks.
He pleaded guilty in May to conspiring to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization. He faces up to 15 years in prison.
Al-Marri spent more than five years detained in a U.S. Navy brig in South Carolina without being charged. His attorneys say that was punishment enough, but a U.S. Air Force psychologist says al-Marri would likely attack the U.S. if given the chance.
