- ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Reuters)
- John Walker Lindh, an American captured by U.S. forces during the war
in Afghanistan, pleaded guilty on Monday to charges of aiding the Taliban
and carrying explosives, in a surprise plea deal that spared him a possible
life prison sentence.
-
- Under terms of the plea agreement, Lindh agreed to a
sentence of a maximum 20 years in prison -- 10 years for each charge. All
terrorism charges against him were dropped.
-
- "I provided my services as a soldier to the Taliban
last year from about August to December," the 21-year-old said at
the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia. "In the course of
doing so I carried a rifle and two grenades. I did so knowingly and willingly
knowing that it was illegal."
-
- District Judge T.S. Ellis set an Oct. 4, 2002, sentencing
date. He has the final say in how long Lindh will be required to serve
in prison.
-
- Lindh, dressed in a green prisoner jumpsuit, stood at
the podium and answered "yes" or "yes, sir" as Ellis
summarized the plea agreement and asked a series of questions to ensure
Lindh knew by signing it he was giving up his right to a trial.
-
- The two charges Lindh pleaded guilty to included one
from the original 10-count indictment -- supplying services to the Taliban
-- and a new charge of carrying explosives while committing a felony.
-
- Lindh's parents and a brother and sister sat in the second
row in the courtroom looking on. After Lindh pleaded guilty and was taken
away they gathered together for a group hug.
-
- "He's a really good kid. I am really gratified that
the government ... has decided to drop all of the terrorism charges against
my son," Frank Lindh told reporters outside the court house.
-
- ASHCROFT DECLARES 'VICTORY'
-
- The deal, reached late on Sunday, was announced in a
hearing convened to decide whether any statements made by Lindh while in
U.S. custody in Afghanistan should be thrown out. As the hearing began,
Lindh's lead defense attorney James Brosnahan stood and announced a deal
had been reached.
-
- White House officials said President Bush was briefed
last Wednesday on the Justice Department's decision to negotiate a plea
bargain, and he supported the move.
-
- U.S. Attorney Paul McNulty said the deal had a provision
allowing the government to seize Lindh and hold him as an "enemy combatant"
if he engages in any "terrorist" behavior after he is released
from prison.
-
- "(This sends) a very strong message to anyone who
would be at all tempted to turn their back on the United States and align
themselves with the enemies of this country," McNulty said after the
hearing ended.
-
- "What we've done is sought the strongest sentence
possible given the charges against the defendant," he said. "The
conduct was quite serious and we had to make sure that the sentence was
serious and we're very confident that it is."
-
- Attorney General John Ashcroft hailed the plea deal as
an "important victory in America's war on terrorism."
-
- "By going to Afghanistan and fighting shoulder to
shoulder alongside the Taliban ... Lindh allied himself with terrorists
who reject our values of freedom and democracy and turned his back on the
United States of America," he said in a statement.
-
- 'NO RAMBO'
-
- Brosnahan pointed out the government had dropped all
charges that Lindh was affiliated with "terrorist" organizations
like al Qaeda.
-
- "He was a soldier in the Taliban," Brosnahan
said outside the courthouse. "He did it for religious reasons. He
did it as a Muslim and history overcame him, as we know.
-
- "He never hurt anybody but he was a soldier of the
Taliban," he said. "He never did shoot his gun. This is not Rambo
we're talking about here."
-
- Under the plea deal Lindh dropped all claims that he
was mistreated by U.S. forces while in detention in Afghanistan.
-
- Lindh was caught in Afghanistan in late November while
fighting with the Taliban and was transferred to U.S. military custody
on Dec. 1, 2001.
-
- He had previously pleaded not guilty to a 10-count indictment
charging him with conspiring to kill Americans and conspiring with the
Taliban and Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network. The United States blames
bin Laden and al Qaeda for the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center
and the Pentagon that killed more than 3,000 people.
-
- Under the agreement Lindh agreed to cooperate with the
government and submit to interviews with law enforcement and intelligence
officers.
-
- Lindh also agreed that all proceeds made by anything
he decided to publish on the deal would go to the government.
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