A US judge sentenced Richard Reid to life in prison for trying, in December 2001, to blow up a plane with explosives hidden in his shoes. Alert crew members had overpowered him before he could ignite the explosives in his shoes. But before being dragged out of the courtroom, the 29-year-old British citizen said, 'You will be judged by Allah! Your government has sponsored the rape and torture of Muslims in the prisons of Egypt and Turkey and Syria and Jordan with their money and with their weapons.'

The judge responded: 'We are not afraid of any of your terrorist co-conspirators, Mr Reid. We are Americans. We have been through fire before. You are not an enemy combatant -- you are a terrorist. You are not a soldier in any war -- you are a terrorist. To call you a soldier gives you far too much stature. You are a terrorist and we do not negotiate with terrorists. We hunt them down one by one and bring them to justice.'

Pointing to the American flag behind him, the judge said, 'You see that flag, Mr Reid? That's the flag of the United States of America. That flag will fly there long after this is long forgotten.'

Text: Ramananda Sengupta

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