A New York man who was convicted of aiding al Qaeda received 15 years in prison Tuesday.
Officials said that Wesam El-Hanafi, 39, helped trained terrorists in Yemen, provided money to al Qaeda and scouted the New York Stock Exchange as the scene of a possible terrorist attack.
“Wesam El-Hanafi was deeply involved in supporting al Qaeda both financially and by facilitating surveillance of a New York landmark to bring an attack to our homeland in our city,” said Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
El-Hanafi was arrested in the United Arab Emirates in April 2010. His co-defendant, Sabirhan Hasanoff, who prosecutors said was involved in many of the plans, is currently serving an 18-year sentence.
• Phillip Swarts can be reached at pswarts@washingtontimes.com.
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