Criminal Charges
On May 1, 2003, Faris pleaded guilty to both charges, providing material support and resources to Al Qaeda and conspiracy for providing the terrorist organization with information about possible U.S. targets for attack. The documents relating to the charges were not unsealed until June 19, 2003. Shortly after, it was revealed that Faris had in fact been a double agent working under orders from the FBI.
On September 25 he sought to withdraw his guilty plea, claiming that while he admitted to meeting with Khalid, he had merely been seeking information about Al-Qaeda for a book he wanted to write. He argued that Khalid was giving false information to authorities as revenge, for Faris refusing to be recruited into Al-Qaeda by the lieutenant. The appeal was rejected. On October 28 he was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema.
According to the New York Times, the plot was uncovered with assistance from the NSA eavesdropping program. Faris' new lawyer David B. Smith announced that they were looking into a direct lawsuit against George W. Bush, who personally authorized the illegal wiretaps. In 2004, Nuradin Abdi, charged with plotting to detonate explosives in shopping centres, said that Faris had picked him up from Port Columbus International Airport.
Read more about this topic: Iyman Faris
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