FLORIDA: Two Pakistani-born American brothers who admitted planning a terrorist attack on New York City landmarks have been jailed for a total of 55 years.
Raees Qazi, 22, and Sheheryar Qazi, 32, both naturalized US citizens from Pakistan, were sentenced to 35 years and 20 years respectively, US media reports say.
US District Judge Beth Bloom said to Raees Qazi: “You are a terrorist. Evil in nature and evil in your deeds. You chose to engage in conduct that can only be described as evil and reprehensible.”
He was sentenced to 35 years behind bars.
Sheheryar Qazi got a lesser sentence than his brother because his main role was to back his sibling financially.
“Your assistance allowed your brother to continue with his evil plan,” the judge said, adding the FBI investigation and arrests “prevented what could have been a tragic loss of many lives”.
On March 12, 2015, Raees Alam Qazi pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists in preparation for the use of a weapon of mass destruction, one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and one count of conspiring to assault a federal employee.
Sherheyar Alam Qazi pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists in preparation for the use of a weapon of mass destruction and one count of conspiring to assault a federal employee.
The brothers acknowledged that Raees Alam Qazi had been trying to reach the “guys from Yemen” aka Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) on the Internet and that they told him not to come to Afghanistan because there were enough people, but instead suggested they do something in the United States.
Raees Alam Qazi admitted that he had taken “hints” from an AQAP online publication entitled Inspire Magazine, including building an explosive device using Christmas tree light bulbs.
Raees Alam Qazi also conceded that he had used information in Inspire to communicate with AQAP, and that his communications with Al Qaeda dealt with his desires to launch an attack in the United States, according to FBI.
