A Florida-based doctor convicted of supporting al-Qaeda for swearing allegiance to Osama bin Laden and agreeing to help treat wounded fighters was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Wednesday Rafiq Sabir, 52, was found guilty by a federal jury of two terrorism charges based on an oath he and his friend Tarik Shah made in Arabic in May 2005 to an undercover FBI agent posing as an al Qaeda recruiter. He taped both men pledging support to the militant Islamic group and "Sheikh Osama."Sabir, a strict Muslim raised in New York, pleaded innocent and said he had been misled by Shah, a martial arts expert and jazz musician. "I had no clue I was being asked to treat al Qaeda members," Sabir said in pleading for leniency to U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska, repeating his trial testimony that he did not understand the pledge because his Arabic was poor. "I am an extremely gullible man who made some foolish mistakes in my life," he said.
But the judge said evidence showed Sabir had a good understanding of Arabic and clearly understood the pledge. "Terrorists cannot succeed without the treatment of their wounded," she said, adding Sabir's situation was worse because he failed to show any remorse. "He has deeply held views regarding militant fundamentalist Islam."
Shah and two other men also charged in the case pleaded guilty to terrorism charges. Earlier this month Shah was sentenced to 15 years in prison for agreeing to help train al Qaeda fighters in hand-to-hand combat.