Two Ohio cousins who provided material support to terrorists have been convicted and sentenced, the Justice Department announced.
Zubair Ahmed, 31, of North Chicago, Ill., and Khaleel Ahmed, 29, of Chicago, were sentenced respectively to 10 years and eight years, four months.
"These sentences send a strong message that we will aggressively go after those who want do harm to our servicemen and servicewomen," according to U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach. "There is no greater priority for us than combating those who would do us harm."
The Ahmeds entered guilty pleas in January 2009 before U.S. District Judge James Carr.
The Ahmeds admitted that between April 1, 2004, and Feb. 21, 2007, they unlawfully and knowingly conspired with other people to provide material support and resources knowing they were to be used in preparation for and in carrying out a violation, according to court documents. They recognized that through their efforts, they were involved in a conspiracy to kill and maim members of the U.S. military serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In May 2004, they traveled together to Cairo, Egypt, where they hoped to make contact with the mujahedeen, receive training, and be placed in either Iraq or Afghanistan to fight U.S. troops. They returned to the U.S. where they came in contact with an undercover informant and sought military training.
Zubair Ahmed has testified twice in related cases in Atlanta. Both were also sentenced to three years of supervised release and required to pay a $100 special assessment.
