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Government cheers conviction in al-Qaida aid trial


By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press Writer

November 25, 2005, 2:22 PM EST

NEW YORK -- The government Friday praised the conviction of a young Pakistani man on charges that he wanted to help an al-Qaida operative sneak into the United States and carry out a terrorist attack.

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales called the conviction of Uzair Paracha, 25, "an important step as we seek to cut off the lifeline of support to al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations, here and abroad."

Gonzales added in a statement that the administration of President Bush "will continue to use all available tools, including the criminal justice system, to deter terrorists from drawing their support from within our nation's borders."

U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said in the same statement that the conviction was "another victory in the global fight against terrorism."

Lawyers for Paracha did not immediately return a telephone message for comment.

Paracha was convicted Wednesday of trying to help al-Qaida member Majid Khan, a former Baltimore resident, sneak back into the United States to carry out a chemical attack.

His confession to FBI agents was the centerpiece of the government's evidence in the two-week-long trial in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

In his own defense, Paracha testified that he told investigators "what I thought they wanted to hear" during 72 hours of questioning after he was detained in 2003.

The government alleged that Khan had planned with top al-Qaida leaders in Pakistan to bomb underground storage tanks in gas stations in Maryland and needed Paracha to pose as Khan so he could obtain immigration documents necessary for Khan to re-enter America.

Paracha had told the FBI he had no personal interest in al-Qaida but cooperated because Khan and others related to the terrorist network had promised to invest $200,000 in one of the Paracha family businesses.

His father, Saifullah Paracha, is being held as an enemy combatant at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He has denied involvement in terrorism, though documents indicate he is suspected of laundering money for terrorists and associating with al-Qaida figures.