{{A British computer expert who admitted supporting terrorism through the internet has been sentenced in a US court to 12-and-a-half years in prison.}}
Babar Ahmad, of Tooting, south London, had admitted conspiracy and providing material to support the Taliban.
Ahmad has already spent almost 10 years in prison in the UK and US and his lawyer thinks he could be released in about seven-and-a-half months.
He waived his right to an appeal as part of a plea agreement.
Ahmad’s co-accused, Syed Talha Ahsan, also of Tooting, was sentenced to time already served, meaning he is now free.
{{‘No threat’}}
Sentencing Ahmad, the judge said she had to weigh the seriousness of the crime with his good character, after reading thousands of letters of support and hearing from British prison officials who described him as an exemplary prisoner.
She said Ahmad was not an operational terrorist, showed he posed no threat to the public and exhibited remorse for setting up websites that promoted jihad.
The judge said she was struck by the impact the Bosnia War had had on him, where he had gone as an 18-year-old and saw the suffering of Muslims, after which he committed to jihad.
The court in New Haven, Connecticut, handed down a sentence of 150 months, half of the 25 years the prosecution was seeking.
Ahmad is expected to carry out the remainder of his sentence in New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center.
Ahmad’s legal team said his release date would be dependent on good behaviour.
{wirestory}
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