Last of the Virginia jihadis convicted

Washinton Post:

A federal jury today convicted the last man charged as a member of the "Virginia jihad network," deciding that Ali Asad Chandia aided a terrorist group that is fighting the government of India.

The jury in U.S. District Court in Alexandria found Chandia, 29, guilty on three counts of providing material support to Lashkar-i-Taiba or conspiring to do so. Though jurors acquitted him on a fourth count of supporting terrorists, the College Park man faces up to 45 years in prison when he is sentenced Aug. 18.

Prosecutors said Chandia trained at a Lashkar camp in Pakistan and helped the group acquire paintballs and other equipment with potential military applications when he returned to the United States. Lashkar, which is battling to end Indian control over much of Kashmir, is considered a terrorist group by the U.S. government.

The verdict brings to 11 the number of Muslim men convicted in the investigation of what prosecutors called a network dedicated to preparing for holy war against the United States. Their training included playing paintball in the Virginia countryside, and a number of the defendants attended Lashkar camps overseas. Prosecutors said Chandia is a former personal assistant to Ali al-Timimi, the group's spiritual leader, who is serving a life prison term.

Federal officials have long described the case as one of the most important domestic terrorism prosecutions since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The local Muslim community, which has criticized the investigation as overzealous and the prison terms of those convicted as excessive, reacted with dismay. Muslims flocked to the courthouse to show support for Chandia, a third-grade teacher at a Muslim school in Maryland. About 100 supporters attended closing arguments on Monday.

...

The reaction of the Muslim community suggest their heart is with the terrorist and not with their country. That will probably mean more of them will be involved in unlawful activities unless there is strong leadership to turn them away from the Islamist.

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