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New York, terror trial capital of the US

New York's federal courts have seen many major terrorist trials since the early 1990s, several involving Al Qaeda-linked operatives.



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By Compiled by Leigh Montgomery , Elizabeth Ryan / November 20, 2009

1993-94: Trial in first World Trade Center bombing.

On Feb. 26, 1993, an explosive-packed Ryder truck was driven into the garage of the World Trade Center in New York, killing 6 people and injuring more than 1,000. After a six month trial with 204 witnesses and 1,000 pieces of evidence, all four defendants were convicted. Each receives a 240-year prison sentence without the possibility of parole.

1994-95: "Day of Terror" trial.

Twelve defendants, including "Blind Cleric" Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, were tried for a terror plot thwarted by the FBI in June 1993. Followers of Sheikh Rahman planned to bomb prominent sites in New York City, including the George Washington Bridge, the Lincoln & Holland Tunnels, the United Nations, and the New York FBI office. Ten defendants were convicted and sentenced to 25 to 85 years in prison. Two pleaded guilty and received life sentences.

1995-96: "Manila Air" plot.

Ramzi Yousef, nephew of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, was one of three defendants tried in Manhattan Federal Court in a plot to plant a bomb in a dozen US commercial jetliners timed to go off when they were over the Pacific. Mr. Yousef, Abdul Hakim Murad, and Wali Khan Amin Shah were all convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, with Yousef sentenced to life in prison plus 240 years.

1997: Trial of Ramzi Yousef for his role as mastermind of the first World Trade Center bombing. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

1998: East Africa American embassy bombings.

US embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, were bombed, killing 224 people and injuring more than 4,000. Osama bin Laden and 22 others were indicted for their role in the attacks; four were caught and convicted. Another suspect, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a Tanzanian national, is scheduled to be tried in September 2010.

2002: Millennium bombing plot.

Algerian nationals Mokhtar Haouari, Abdel Ghani Meskini, and Ahmed Ressam were charged in a conspiracy to bomb the Los Angeles airport during the millennium celebrations. Tried in a New York federal court, Mr. Haouari was convicted of conspiring to supply material support to Mr. Ressam's plan to enter the US from Canada and set off a bomb at the L.A. airport. He was sentenced to 24 years. Meskini entered a plea agreement with the Justice department to testify against other suspects in exchange for a lighter sentence. Mr. Ressam testified against Haouari, and was sentenced in 2005 by a Los Angeles court to 22 years in prison.

2004-06: New York subway bomb plot.

James Elshafay and Shahawar Matin Siraj, both US citizens, were arrested for plotting to bomb a subway station near Madison Square Garden in New York City before the Republican National Convention. Mr. Siraj was convicted in 2006 and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Mr. Elshafay pleaded guilty and received a five-year sentence for testifying against his co-conspirator.

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