British National Pleads Guilty for Attempting to Set Terrorist Camp in US

US Attorney’s Office for Southern District of New York said that British citizen Haroon Aswat pleaded guilty to terrorism charges for attempting to create a training camp in the United States.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — British citizen Haroon Aswat pleaded guilty in a Manhattan, New York Federal Court to terrorism charges for attempting to create a training camp in the United States to support the al-Qaeda terrorist group, US Attorney’s Office for Southern District of New York said in a statement.

“Haroon Aswat fought his extradition to the United States for almost 10 years,” US Attorney Preet Bharara said in the statement on Monday.

“He then pled guilty to [al-Qaeda] material support charges within just six months of arriving here, showing again our legal system’s capacity for swift justice,” Bharara added.

Aswat, along with co-defendants Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, Ouassama Kassir, and Earnest James Ujaama, conspired to establish the terrorist training camp in Bly, Oregon, according to the Attorney’s Office. The purpose of the camp was to train people to fight in Afghanistan, according to statement.

“For providing support to al Qaeda, Aswat now comes face-to-face with justice and faces up to 20 years in prison, and after the completion of his term he will be deported,” Bharara said.

Aswat was arrested in Zambia in July 2005, but was later deported to the United Kingdom, where he was arrested in response to a request by the US government. Aswat was extradited to the United States in October 2014.

Kassir and Mustafa were convicted for their roles in attempting to establish a terrorist training camp in 2009 and 2014, respectfully.