Would-be Bomber Convicted
Just for the record, would-be subway bomber Shahawar Matin Siraj was convicted this week.
A federal jury in Brooklyn convicted a Pakistani immigrant yesterday in the plot to blow up the Herald Square subway station in 2004. The jurors rejected his defense that a paid police informer had entrapped him by stoking his rage with images of Muslims abused at the hands of Americans.
The man, Shahawar Matin Siraj, who will turn 24 tomorrow, appeared pallid and downcast as the jury forewoman delivered the verdict. He tilted his head forward slightly and closed his eyes for a moment as she repeated the word guilty four times, once for each of the bombing conspiracy counts against him. The jurors had deliberated for 10 hours over two days after a four-week trial in United States District Court in Brooklyn.
The most serious charge, plotting to bomb a public transportation system, can carry a life sentence, although lawyers and prosecutors said Mr. Siraj would most likely face a term of 20 to 30 years under federal guidelines. He turned down a plea deal that would have given him a 10-year sentence.
Do I even need to note that he was a muslim who wanted to commit jihad against the infidel?
Despite the Times’ even comparison of Siraj’s story and the FBI’s, the fact is this man would’ve bombed one of the busiest subway stations in New York if he had been given the opportunity to do so. I’m glad they threw the book at him. Frankly, I think he should be made to wear a shirt that says “I was going to blow this station up and I hate you, infidels” in the subway station he was going to bomb.
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