News: Subway Bomber’s Father Found Guilty
(Long Island, N.Y.) The father of the twenty-six-year-old Queens suicide bomb plotter was found guilty of attempting to cover up his son’s plans. The bomber’s dad will face a maximum term of forty years in prison. He was convicted of one count of conspiracy and another count of obstruction of justice; he will be sentenced at the end of the year.
The father’s defense lawyer argued that the man’s weak grasp of English caused a miscommunication between him and prosecutors. Reports stated that police and authorities on the case also had a difficult time understanding his relatives. The twenty-six-year-old son pleaded guilty to conspiring with Al-Qaeda to attack the subway using homemade explosive devices.
The bomber was caught in early 2010 in a case that authorities described as one of the most serious threats to the United States since the September 11th attacks. He pleaded guilty in a federal courthouse to terrorism charges. He was accused of building and detonating a bomb on a New York City subway.
Sources stated that the father’s nephew testified that he was told to dispose of chemicals after he had knowledge of FBI surveillance. The father was discovered to have lied to investigators and destroyed evidence that would have incriminated his son.
Reports stated that the son pleaded guilty to supplying material support for a terrorist organization. He also pleaded guilty to conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction and to commit murder in a foreign country.
The attorney general stated that the combined efforts of intelligence communities, as well as law enforcement’s efforts, were the keys to catching the terrorists in time. Sources also stated that the attorney general confirmed that the threat was real and would have been deadly.
Police and authorities on the case stated that while at war against an adaptive and intelligent enemy, Americans must use all of their tools to win that war and incapacitate the terrorists. Authorities also stated that the criminal justice system is one of the tools that will help Americans win a war on terror.
Attorneys on both sides of the case declined to make comments. Many believed that the guilty plea suggested that the bomber was willing to cooperate with investigators. Sources additionally stated that plea bargains are helpful in obtaining valuable intelligence, which can be used in other ongoing investigations.
The Queens bomber was convicted by a Brooklyn jury early last year. There are three other suspects that have been officially charged with the case.
