Haroon Aswat pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court yesterday to providing material support to terror group Al-Qaeda and faces 20 years in prison.
"With this guilty plea, Haroon Aswat is being held accountable for his provision of material support to al-Qaeda and his role in a plot to establish a terrorist training camp on American soil," Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin said.
Aswat was arrested in Zambia in July 2005 and a month later was deported to the United Kingdom. He was extradited to the United States from the UK last October.
"For providing support to al-Qaeda, Aswat now comes face- to-face with justice and faces up to 20 years in prison, and after the completion of his term he will be deported," Bharara said.
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According to the allegations contained in the indictment, in late 1999, Aswat, along with co-defendants Hamza, Ouassama Kassir and Earnest James Ujaama, attempted to create a terrorist training camp in the US to support Al-Qaeda.
Later, Hamza directed Aswat and Kassir, both of whom resided in London and attended his mosque there, to travel to Oregon to assist in establishing the camp. The duo traveled to Bly for the purpose of training men to fight jihad.
Kassir told witnesses that he supported Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden and that he had previously received jihad training in Pakistan.
After leaving Bly, Aswat and Kassir traveled to Seattle, where they resided at a mosque for approximately two months.
A ledger recovered in September 2002 from an al-Qaeda safe house in Karachi, Pakistan, listed a number of individuals associated with the group, including Aswat.
The safe house was used by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, al Qaeda's chief operational planner and the alleged planner of the terrorist attacks of 9/11.