10-06-2010, 08:03 AM
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co...05683.html
Faisal Shahzad sparred with the judge and smirked as the sentence was imposed for his failed attempt to detonate an explosives-packed Nissan Pathfinder on May 1 in one of the busiest intersections in New York. "We are only Muslims . . . but if you call us terrorists, we are proud terrorists, and we will keep on terrorizing you," he said, adding that "the defeat of the U.S. is imminent."
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U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum said the mandatory life term was important "to protect the public from further crimes of this defendant and others who would seek to follow him." As Shahzad defended his actions, Cedarbaum at one point cut him off to ask whether he had sworn allegiance to the United States when he became a U.S. citizen last year.
"I did swear, but I did not mean it," Shahzad said.
"So you took a false oath," the judge replied.
Shahzad, 31, pleaded guilty to 10 bombing-related counts in June, less than two months after he was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport aboard a flight to Dubai. Federal officials hailed the case's quick resolution, saying it showed that the criminal justice system can handle complex terrorism matters. At least 20 U.S. citizens have been charged with major terrorism violations in federal court this year, according to Justice Department statistics.
Legal experts have called the case a law enforcement triumph but said Shahzad's near-success in detonating the device should serve as a warning to federal officials, who failed to detect the plot. Shahzad's bomb fizzled before it could explode because of faulty wiring and the use of such ingredients as low-grade fertilizer. The smoking car attracted the attention of a street vendor, who alerted police...