India-born sentenced in US terrorism case

While India-born Khaleel Ahmed, 29, was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison, his cousin Zubair Ahmed, 31, was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday by US District Judge James Carr in Toledo, Ohio.

"These sentences send a strong message that we will aggressively go after those who would do harm to our servicemen and servicewomen," US Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio Steven M. Dettelbach said. 

"There is no greater priority for us than combating those who would do us harm." According to court documents, the Ahmeds, who pleaded guilty in January 2009, admitted that between April 1, 2004, and Feb 21, 2007, they conspired to provide material support to terrorists in a plot to kill US soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In May 2004, they travelled together to Cairo, where they hoped to make contact with the mujahedeen, receive training and be placed in either Iraq or Afghanistan to fight US troops.
They returned to the US, where they came in contact with an undercover informant and sought military training, the court papers said.

Zubair Ahmed testified twice in related cases in Atlanta. Both Chicago residents were also sentenced to three years of supervised release and each was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment.