Man Sentenced to 44 Years in Prison After Pleading Guilty to Qaeda Ties
The New York Times
Minh Quang Pham was accused of plotting a suicide bombing at Heathrow Airport in London in support of Al Qaeda’s Yemen branch.
A man who pleaded guilty to federal terrorism charges nine years ago after being accused of plotting a suicide bombing at Heathrow Airport in London in support of Al Qaeda’s Yemeni affiliate was sentenced on Tuesday to 44 years in prison.
Prosecutors said that the man, Minh Quang Pham, planned the bombing after having received military training in Yemen from Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born radical Muslim cleric and a leader of the Al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen. The United States later killed him in a drone strike.
The sentencing of Mr. Pham, 41, in Federal District Court in Manhattan, appeared to conclude a winding case that began with his indictment in New York on several terrorism counts in 2012 and his extradition to the United States from Britain in 2015.
“Minh Quang Pham’s actions were not just an affront to the safety of this country, but to the principles of peace and security that we hold dear,” Danielle R. Sassoon, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, said. “Today’s sentencing underscores our resolve to stop terrorism before it occurs.”
A lawyer for Mr. Pham, Bobbi Sternheim, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Pham was born in Vietnam, moved to Britain as a child, worked as a web designer and converted to Islam. The events that led to his conviction and sentencing began in late 2010 when he traveled to Yemen, the base of operations for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, according to court documents.
