A US court has sentenced a Pakistani immigrant to 30 years in prison for plotting to blow up a subway station in Manhattan in 2004 to avenge abuse of Iraqis at the hands of Americans soldiers.
In his statement before sentencing, 24-year-old Shahawar Matin Siraj, who has been held without bail since he was arrested along with another man on August 27, 2004, apologised but blamed a police informer of entrapping him.
During the trial, defense had made a similar plea that the informer had lured him, but the federal jury had rejected the argument and convicted him.
A police informer had secretly recorded the statements of Siraj about his plans to blow up the station because of his anger at the United States. The tapes were played at the trial.
In the recordings, he had praised Osama bin Laden and predicted more terrorist attacks against America. But he never obtained any explosives nor had set any time table. Nor was he ever linked to any terrorist group.
Judge Nina Gershon rejected the plea of the defense lawyers that he should not be given more than 10 years sentence.
In seeking a lenient sentence, they had argued that he was not a dangerous psychopath, but a misguided and confused youngster.
The prosecution had demanded a sentence of 30 years in prison, arguing that Siraj was a "driving force" behind a "workable terrorist plot."
"Your honour I want to apologise about whatever I said in the tapes. I wish I could take those words back, but it already happened. I already said those things. I am taking responsibility for 34th Street (the subway station), but I was manipulated by this person," he told the judge, referring to the paid police informer who had been engaged to keep an eye on radical Muslims.
Siraj was convicted on May 24 on four counts of conspiracy, including plotting to bomb a public transportation system.
"The crimes committed here were extremely serious," the judge said.
"They had the potential, if not thwarted, to wreak havoc with the New York City transportation system. Indeed, the tristate-area transportation system," he said.
He was convicted mainly on the testimony of the informer, Osama Eldawoody.
Siraj had come to the United States in 1999 along with his parents who were present when the sentence was read out.
His mother, Shahina Parveen, who was seen crying, told reporters that her son was innocent and the paid informer had tricked him and that they would appeal the decision.
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