American national Mahmud Faruq Brent has been sentenced by New York court to 15 years imprisonment for conspiring to provide material support to militant outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba, which is committed to violent jihad against the United States and its allies.
The sentencing was announced by US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Michael J Garcia on Wednesday.
While imposing the statutory maximum sentence, US District Judge Loretta A Preska observed that without foot soldiers willing to offer themselves as fighters, like Brent, LeT could not carry out violent terrorist acts and that Brent's willingness to travel and train at the outfit's terrorist training camp in Pakistan was a critical component of putting its "murderous views" into action.
Judge Preska also noted that after completing his terrorist military training in Pakistan, Brent, also known as Mahmud Almutazzm returned to the United States to wait for the opportunity to put his training into action.
Brent had previously pleaded guilty to the charges on April 2, 2007.
According to court documents and statements made during Brent's guilty plea proceeding, Brent, working with others, travelled to Pakistan in 2002 and attended a terrorist training camp operated by LeT.
He thereafter returned to the United States and was living in Baltimore, Maryland, area at the time of his arrest in August 2005.
As part of the conspiracy to provide material support to LeT, prosecution said Brent received martial arts training from Arik Shah, a co-defendant who pleaded guilty to charges that he conspired to provide material support to Al Qaeda.
Shah's address book contained a telephone number for "Mahmud Almutazzim" that was subscribed to by Brent's wife at their home in Gwynn Oak, Maryland.
Shah's address book also contained a telephone number for "Sayfullah" that was used by Seifullah Chapman, who has been convicted in the eastern district of Virginia of multiple terrorism and firearms charges as part of the Virginia Jihad Network prosecutions.
In a recorded conversation with an undercover FBI agent, Shah mentioned the names of several students, including "Mahmud Almutazzim," whom he had trained in the martial arts and who had gone overseas to training camps in Afghanistan and Yemen.
Among other things Shah said Brent had told him how "difficult" it was to be back in the United States and not to be in training.
Shah said that Brent could be trusted because he was a long-time student of his who, after leaving school, started "seeking the way to become mujahideen."
Shah also told the undercover agent that he intended to call Brent to enlist his help in preparing a demonstration video to be used for martial arts training of jihadis.
Phone records reveal a subsequent 16-minute telephone call between phones used by Shah and Brent.
Shah was arrested in May 2005. Thereafter, he agreed to meet with Brent and to allow the FBI to secretly monitor the encounter.
