U.S. doctor convicted of support al Qaeda

From Reuters via ABC News:

A federal jury convicted a Florida-based doctor on Monday of supporting al Qaeda by swearing allegiance to the group and attempting to help treat wounded fighters. Rafiq Sabir, 52, was found guilty of conspiracy to provide material support to al Qaeda and providing or attempting to provide material support or resources and faces a maximum of 30 years in prison when he is sentenced September 12.

They said Sabir and his “brother in arms” Shah, a New York jazz musician and martial arts expert, long dreamed of fulfilling what they believed was their Muslim duty to help wage holy war against infidels. The men offered themselves as a “package” to the undercover agent, prosecutors said, with Sabir providing his skills as an emergency room doctor and Shah training would-be fighters in hand-to-hand combat.

Before the trial, Shah and two other defendants in the case, Brooklyn bookstore owner Abdulrahman Farhane and Maryland taxi driver Mahmud Brent, pleaded guilty to terrorism charges. Farhane was sentenced in April to 13 years in prison and Shah and Brent will be sentenced in July.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *