An Ohio man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Thursday for a terrorism conspiracy in which he joined Al Qaeda and helped plot bombings in the United States and abroad.
American-born Christopher Paul — who went by the names Abdul Malek and Paul Kenyatta Laws — was sentenced in federal court in Columbus on charges of conspiring with others to use a weapon of mass destruction, the Justice Department said.
The weapons in question were explosive devices the DOJ says Paul planned to use against targets in the United States and Europe.
He also was charged with providing material support and resources to terrorists.
The Justice Department accused Paul and two other men of discussing terrorist attacks during an August 2002 meeting at a suburban coffee shop.
He pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction in terrorist attacks. His accomplices in the scheme also pleaded guilty.
The 44-year-old Paul grew up in the Columbus suburb of Worthington and spent a year at Ohio State as an engineering major.
FOX News's Mike Levine, FOXNews.com's Catherine Donaldson-Evans and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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