Holy Land Foundation's terrorist funders get put in the pen
Published by Avi Green on Thursday, May 28, 2009 at 12:56 AM.
Finally, we get to see some justice done in dealing with some funders of Islamic terrorism:
Two founding members of what was once the nation's largest Muslim charity were each sentenced to 65 years in prison Wednesday for funneling millions of dollars to the Palestinian militant group Hamas.There's still more that needs to be done though in making sure that criminals like those mentioned above are brought to justice and will serve prison sentences, and will also be shunned by sane society. For now, this is very good news to be found.
Shukri Abu Baker, 50, and Ghassan Elashi, 55, were among the five members of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development sentenced to prison by U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis. The men and Holy Land were convicted in November on 108 charges.
The convictions followed a mistrial in which the government in 2007 failed to sway jurors that the now-defunct charity, based in the Dallas suburb of Richardson, was in fact aiding Hamas.
The two Holy Land leaders were convicted on charges ranging from supporting a terrorist organization to money laundering and tax fraud. The group wasn't accused of violence but of bankrolling Hamas-controlled schools and social welfare programs.
Mufid Abdulqader, 49, was sentenced to 20 years on three conspiracy counts. Mohammad El-Mezain, 55, got 15 years for one count of conspiracy. Abdulrahman Odeh received 15 years for three conspiracy counts.
A judgment of $12.4 million was assessed against four of the defendants because they were convicted of money laundering.
"These sentences should serve as a strong warning to anyone who knowingly provides financial support to terrorists under the guise of humanitarian relief," said David Kris, assistant attorney general for national security, in a statement.
Labels: islam, jihad, terrorism, United States, war on terror
