Yahya Goba, considered the organizer of the Lackawanna Six, was sent down the river for sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in federal prison. "That’s a long time, but perhaps in your case, not long enough," U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny told Goba after handing down the sentence. Goba, 26, was the fourth member of the Lackawanna Six to be sentenced this month. The six traveled to Afghanistan and trained with al-Qaida several months before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In Goba’s case, 10 years imprisonment is the maximum under federal sentencing guidelines and was predetermined by the terms of his guilty plea. Though Skretny said the sentence for Goba was appropriate, he added that more time behind bars wouldn’t have been out of line.
Longer would be better, but he did spill his guts.
| A blindfold and a cigarette wouldn't have been out of line... |
Skretny disclosed that Goba used a share of the $14,000 provided by an unidentified local man for the trip to the military training camp. And when an al-Qaida recruiter came to Lackawanna in April 2001, he stayed with Goba in his Lackawanna home. Furthermore, while four of the six left the al-Qaida training camp, Goba stayed for the duration, learning to use an M-16 rifle, explosives and a grenade launcher, Skretny said. Goba even stood guard at the camp.
| "Yar! Ain't no infidels gonna come sneakin' in while I'm on duty!" |
Goba and fellow Lackawanna residents Shafal Mosed, Mukhtar al-Bakri, Yasein Taher, Faysal Galab and Sahim Alwan were arrested in September 2002 on charges that they supported al-Qaida by training at one of the terrorist camps in Afghanistan in 2001. All six accepted plea deals, admitting that they trained at the camp but denying that they had any intention to engage in terrorism.
| "Who? Us? Terrorism? No, no! Certainly not!" |
Last week, al-Bakri was sentenced to 10 years and Taher to eight years. Tuesday, Mosed also was sentenced to eight years. Goba, along with al-Bakri, has been singled out for the longest prison term because he was intimately involved in organizing the trip, according to terrorism prosecutor William J. Hochul Jr. Clauss told the judge Goba never intended to be part of the al-Qaida network, but took the trip out of commitment to his faith and his "naive infatuation" with al-Qaida leaders.
Yeah, right.
Since his plea deal, Goba has cooperated fully with the government, providing valuable insight into al-Qaida and its recruiting methods, Clauss said.
Maybe one of his islamic buddies will off him in prison for being a stoolie. Hey, I can dream, can’t I?
Skretny, though, said he was particularly troubled by Goba’s actions because Goba had been a carrier teacher of Islam to children in the community. Goba should have known to stay clear of al-Qaida’s distorted teachings, he said.
Depends on what you consider "distorted".
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Battle responded to questions about the $14,000 given by the local man to help finance the trip to Afghanistan. "We are following up on the investigation into the funding of the trip," Battle said. "It’s still too early to say whether anyone will be charged."
| Gooby didn't spring the name. That's why he got the full ten years. |
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