Algerian immigrant Ahmed Ferhani, who pleaded guilty to a plot to blow up New York City synagogues, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison He pleaded guilty in December to terror related and hate crime charges, according to the Associated Press.
Ferhani and Mohamed Mamdouh were arrested in a New York Police Department sting operation, while trying to purchase live grenades and other weapons, authorities said. Their plans were to dress up as Hasidic Jews and bomb sentencing. Ferhani also fantasized about blowing up a Queens church and the Empire State Building, according to authorities.
"Today's sentencing marks an important first for local law enforcement officials in New York State," said Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance. "Violent plots like Ahmed Ferhani's endanger all New Yorkers. Fortunately, as a result of the collaboration between state prosecutors and local police, we prevented him from carrying out his violent plan against our city."
Ferhani said the plot was meant to send "a message of intimidation and coercion to Jews and non-Muslims" in New York City, CBS 2 news network's Dick Brennan reported in December. Authorities called Ferhani a homegrown terrorist out to "avenge what he saw as a mistretment of Muslims around the world." His lawyers initially portrayed him as mentally unstable, entrapped by police.
Ferhani's lawyers have said he has been institutionalized for psychiatric problems as many as 30 times, according to NY-CBS.
The grand jury declined to indict Mamdouh on the initial top charge against them - a high level terror conspiracy count. Mamdouh, who is a 21-year-old American citizen of Moroccan descent, has his case pending.
An undercover officer who investigated them reported that Ferhani hoped to be martyr. In his wiretap recordings, Ferhani was heard calling Jews "rats" and other names.
Homegrown terrorism has become increasingly prevalent in Western countries - and relevant for law enforcement - since the attacks of September 11, 2001.
