An Algerian man whose sentence for plotting to blow up the Los Angeles airport around the turn of the new millennium was thrown out for being too lenient was ordered Wednesday to spend 37 years in prison.
Ahmed Ressam, who had trained with al-Qaida in Afghanistan, was arrested in December 1999 when a customs agent noticed that he appeared suspicious as he drove off a ferry from Canada onto Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. A resulting search turned up a trunk full of explosives.
Ressam’s capture, after a brief foot chase, prompted fears of a terrorist attack and the cancellation of Seattle’s New Year’s Eve fireworks.
U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour had twice ordered him to serve 22-year terms, but both times the sentences were rejected on appeal.
This time, Ressam’s attorneys conceded that he should face at least three decades to satisfy the appeals courts, but no more than 34 years.
The Justice Department, which previously sought sentences of 35 years and life in prison, recommended a life sentence again because of the mass murder Ressam intended to inflict. In those pre-Sept. 11 days, it was “a virtually unimaginable horror,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Helen Brunner told the court.
Brunner also argued that Ressam continues to pose a threat, as evidenced by his recantation of prior cooperation, which forced the government to dismiss charges against two coconspirators.
Ressam’s lawyer, Thomas Hillier, disagreed, pointing to a letter Ressam sent the judge this week in which he wrote: “I am against killing innocent people of any gender, color or religion. I apologize for my actions.”
Ressam, who made a similar statement to the court in 2003, did not speak at the hearing Wednesday.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys said they would review the ruling. Neither indicated whether they would appeal. U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan said the case represented a victory for the rule of law.
“We afforded a man who sought to do us the greatest harm the full due process of the law,” she said.
The sentence reflected more than the 35 years maximum for the two most serious of the nine counts Ressam was convicted of: committing an act of terrorism across international boundaries, and carrying an explosive during the commission of a felony.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.