Terrorist Nuradin Abdi Gets 10 Years Prison

(Columbus, Ohio) In August 2007, a 35-year-old Somali immigrant, Nuradin Mahamoud Abdi, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to al Qaeda. Abdi was initially implicated in a plot to bomb a mall in Columbus.

As a reminder, Abdi, Pakistani immigrant Iyman Faris and Columbus native Christopher Paul conspired to blow up a shopping mall during a meeting in 2002. Faris was previously convicted of plotting to blow up the Brooklyn Bridge and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Paul faces trial, scheduled for January 2009, for plotting to bomb European tourist resorts and American military bases overseas.

This week, Abdi was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison to be followed by deportation to Somalia.

In a 20-minute statement to the court, Abdi's attorney Mahir Sherif said his client apologized to the people of the United States, the people of Ohio and the Muslim community. He said Abdi regretted that his conviction might lead to problems for other Muslims.

"He apologizes for the things he thought about and the things he talked about and the crimes he pleaded guilty to," Sherif said. "He wants to make it very, very clear that he does not hate America."

Frankly, I don't believe that Abdi said those things, through his lawyer or otherwise. A 35-year-old person doesn't plot to kill innocent strangers and wantonly destroy property without a modicum of hatred in his soul.

Agreed, since being caught he's trying to minimize future negative impact but, once released back in Somalia, mark my words, he'll be locking and loading an AK-47 for the terrorist cause.