WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The Albanian, Agron Hasbajrami, will face up to 20 years for prison for attempting to join terrorist groups in the tribal regions of Pakistan, a base for al-Qaeda, the Taliban and other terrorist groups.
“This case is another example that shows that when people in the New York area conspire with, attempt to join or fund a terrorist organization, even in the Tribal Area of Pakistan, they will be uncovered by the agents and detectives of the JTTF [Joint Terrorism Task Force], and they will face the full consequences of the law,” New York City Police Department Commissioner William Bratton said in the statement on Friday.
In several e-mails with a person in Pakistan, Hasbajrami had stated he wanted to carry out jihad, the Justice Department said.
Authorities found in his luggage a tent, boots and cold weather clothes. A subsequent search of Hasbajrami’s home found evidence he intended to become join jihad.
Hasbajrami’s communication was identified through the United States’ mass surveillance program, or FISA Amendments Act. As part of the plea deal, the defendant will have a right to appeal the legality of the surveillance.
“As part of the plea, Hasbajrami agreed to be deported from the United States at the conclusion of his sentence, and the government agreed to allow the defendant to preserve his right to challenge on appeal the lawfulness of surveillance obtained or derived from the FISA Amendments Act of 2008,” the statement said.
A New York court ruled in February 2015 the surveillance was admissible in court, the Justice Department said.
