Thursday, July 28, 2005

Yemeni cleric jailed for 75 years

A Yemeni cleric who once called himself Osama Bin Laden's spiritual adviser has been sentenced to a maximum 75 years in prison in New York.

Sheikh Mohammed Ali Hassan al-Moayad was convicted on charges of conspiring to support the al-Qaeda network and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

At a meeting with two FBI informants in Germany, he was recorded promising to funnel more than $2m (£1.1m) to Hamas.

He was arrested by German police in January 2003 and extradited to the US.

For each of five counts, he received 15-year sentences, each to be served consecutively.

He was also fined $1.25m in a federal court in Brooklyn.resd more »