NEW YORK – A New Yorker who sent $67,000 to al-Qaida and pledged his support to the terror group has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Federal Judge Kimba Wood in Manhattan sentenced Brooklyn-born Wesam El-Hanafi (WAH'-suhm el-HAN'-awf-ee) on Tuesday. The sentence was less than the 20-year maximum term prosecutors had sought and three years less than his co-defendant received.
El-Hanafi pleaded guilty in June 2012, two years after he was brought to the United States from Dubai.
Prosecutors say El-Hanafi pledged loyalty to al-Qaida and sought to teach the group how to evade detection on the Internet. He went to Yemen in 2008 and met with al-Qaida representatives.
El-Hanafi said he regrets his actions and is embarrassed.
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