Another One Takes the Fall
Charles Johnson
Mon May 21, 2007 at 5:45 pm PDT • Views: 268
Florida doctor Rafiq Sabir has been convicted of supporting Qaeda by offering to treat wounded holy warriors.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal jury convicted a Florida-based doctor on Monday of supporting al Qaeda by swearing allegiance to the group and attempting to help treat wounded fighters.
Rafiq Sabir, 52, was found guilty of conspiracy to provide material support to al Qaeda and providing or attempting to provide material support or resources and faces a maximum of 30 years in prison when he is sentenced September 12.
Sabir read the Koran before the jury came back to announce its verdict, and he showed no emotion as the verdict was read.
“We are deeply disappointed in the verdict. It is another example of the erosion of constitutional rights that we suffer post-9/11,” his attorney, Ed Wilford, told reporters.
The case did not involve any attack plot, but centered on an oath that Sabir and his close friend Tarik Shah made in Arabic in May 2005 to an undercover FBI agent posing as an al Qaeda recruiter. He taped both men pledging support to the militant Islamic group and “Sheikh Osama.”
Sabir, a strict Muslim born and raised in New York, testified during the trial that he did not realize during the meeting that “Osama” referred to Osama bin Laden and had misunderstood the pronunciation of “al Qaeda” due to his limited Arabic.
(Hat tip: LGF readers.)
Frank says: