CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) - The Latest on the sentencing of a New York man for plotting to join al-Qaida (all times local):
4:15 p.m.
A U.S. judge has sentenced a New York man to 13 years in prison for trying to join a militant terror group while he was a senior in high school.
Justin Kaliebe (kah-LEE’-bee) was arrested in 2013 after he went to Kennedy Airport intending to fly to Yemen, where he would join the militant group al-Qaida.
The Long Island man, now 22, pleaded guilty shortly after his arrest.
Kaliebe’s attorney contends his client was a misguided autistic teenager who didn’t understand what he was doing. He requested Kaliebe be sentenced to time served, plus strict post-release monitoring.
Surveillance video recorded by undercover federal agents shows Kaliebe praising terrorists.
U.S. District Court Judge Denis Hurley on Tuesday called the crime “horrendous.”
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11:30 a.m.
A federal judge in New York is set to decide how much prison time a Long Island man will serve for plotting to join al-Qaida in 2013.
Justin Kaliebe (Cah-LEE-bee) is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday.
Now 22, Kaliebe was a high school senior when he was arrested in 2013 as part of an investigation into Americans plotting to aid terrorists abroad. He pleaded guilty shortly after his arrest.
Kaliebe’s attorney says his client was a misguided autistic teenager who didn’t understand what he was doing. Prosecutors say he proudly proclaimed his commitment to being radicalized.
Surveillance video recorded by undercover federal agents shows Kaliebe praising terrorists.
Prosecutors have asked for 24 years in prison. His attorney has asked for time served and strict monitoring after his client’s release.
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