Two New Jersey men with al Qaeda links sentenced to prison
Source: Reuters
Two New Jersey men with al Qaeda links sentenced to prison
By David Jones
NEWARK, New Jersey | Mon Apr 15, 2013 7:49pm EDT
(Reuters) - Two New Jersey men were sentenced in federal court on Monday to spend at least two decades in prison for conspiring to join the al Qaeda-linked militant group al Shabaab and wage a holy war against non-Muslims.
Mohamed Alessa, 23, and Carlos Almonte, 27, were arrested in June 2010 at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport as they were trying to board flights to Egypt, authorities said.
The two men had traveled to Jordan in 2007 to inquire about joining the organization, saved thousands of dollars, practiced tactical maneuvers with paintball guns and acquired knives and night vision equipment, federal prosecutors said.
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They pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder persons outside the United States on behalf of al Shabaab. Almonte is from Elmwood Park, New Jersey, and Alessa is from North Bergen, New Jersey.
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Read more:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/15/us-usa-crime-militants-idUSBRE93E1EC20130415