Scholar convicted of urging holy war on U.S.
Followers allegedly played paintball in Va. woods to prepare for war
Ali al-Timimi faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison when he's sentenced in July.
The Associated Press
Updated: 4:03 p.m. ET April 26, 2005

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - An Islamic scholar who prosecutors said enjoyed “rock star� status among a group of young Muslim men in Virginia was convicted Tuesday of exhorting his followers in the days after Sept. 11 to join the Taliban and fight U.S. troops.

The convictions against Ali al-Timimi, 41, carry a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison without parole. But the judge left open the possibility that she will toss out some of the counts.

The jury reached its verdict after seven days of deliberations and convicted al-Timimi of all 10 counts.

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Prosecutors said the defendant â€â€