Former Hawaii man convicted of lying to FBI about joining al-Qaida
NEW YORK >> A former Hawaii man has been convicted of lying to the FBI about plans to team up with the Taliban or al-Qaida.
A jury on Monday found Abdel Hameed Shehadeh guilty in federal court in Brooklyn.
Friends of Shehadeh testified that he spoke of wanting to die while waging violent jihad, or holy war, abroad against the U.S. military. They said the former Staten Island resident had hoped to attend a terrorist training camp in Pakistan.
The defendant first drew the attention of the FBI in 2008 when he bought a one-way plane ticket to Islamabad. Prosecutors say he later lied by saying he was going to get religious training.
FBI agents arrested Shehadeh at his residence in Honolulu in October of 2010. Shehadeh is a U.S. citizen who was born and raised in New York.
He faces up to 21 years in prison at sentencing. No date has been set.
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