Al-Qaeda Agent Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison

WASHINGTON -- A Qatari man who admitted working with the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks received a lighter prison sentence than the government sought after a federal judge cited the government's decision to jail the al Qaeda operative without charge for almost six years. Ali al-Marri, 44, was eligible for a term of up to 15 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines, but received only an eight-year sentence from U.S. District Judge Michael Mihm, of Peoria, Ill. Judge Mihm dropped 71 months from the sentence, because that's how long President George W. Bush kept the former Bradley University graduate student in isolation at a U.S. Navy brig in South Carolina. Mr. Bush had designated Mr. Marri as an "enemy combatant" in 2003, although he was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on U.S. soil. The judge cut an additional nine months from the sentence because of what Mr. Marri's lawyers had called the harsh conditions of his treatment and confinement at the brig. They said he was subjected to isolation, sensory deprivation and threats to his family. Mr. Marri pleaded guilty in May to providing material support to a terrorist organization after admitting he worked with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-professed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. According to the Associated Press, Mr. Marri wept through his 10 minutes of testimony Thursday, apologizing for his actions. The judge's decision won't necessarily play beyond his own courtroom in Peoria, but it could have political implications for the administration of President Barack Obama. The White House is moving forward with plans to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, arguing in part that the U.S. justice system is capable of handling the cases of some detainees still there. Justice Department prosecutors had argued for person Sale Inflatable giving Mr. Marri the full 15-year sentence. Mr. Marri was charged and moved into the federal justice system only after his lawyers had pushed the issue of his military detention all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. One of those attorneys, Jonathan Hafetz, of the American Civil Liberties Union, hailed Thursday's decision. "Today showed the ability of the civilian courts to hand out justice consistent with America's constitution and its values," Mr. Hafetz said, adding that it was proper for the judge to weigh what he called "six years of totally illegal military detention."