NY pair given 15 years in FBI assassination sting

By Holly McKenna

ALBANY, New York (Reuters) - A U.S. judge sentenced an Iraqi Kurdish imam and a Bangladeshi-American pizzeria owner to 15 years each in prison on Thursday for their roles in an FBI sting operation involving a fake plot to kill a Pakistani diplomat.

Yassin Aref, 36, and Mohammed Hossain, 52, agreed to take part in plot targeting the Pakistani ambassador to the United Nations in New York.

Prosecutors had asked for sentences of 30 years to life for each of them, but U.S. District Judge Thomas McAvoy showed leniency because he said they "didn't actively pursue terrorist crimes. It was presented to (them)."

Both were convicted in October of money laundering and conspiring to provide material support to the Pakistan-based Islamic militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed, which is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.

"I didn't know about terrorism or terrorists or shooting or bombing. I knew about how many pounds of flour I used to make pizza," Hossain told the judge as he broke into tears.

The judge said Hossain "committed crimes out of greed, not out of ideology." The father of six would have received $5,000 for his role, according to the indictment.

Aref alleged Muslims were unfairly branded criminals and terrorists in the United States, and defense lawyers had argued the men were victims of post-September 11 racial profiling and entrapped by overzealous prosecutors.

"I swear to God, I had no intention to harm anyone in this country. I don't know why I am guilty," Aref said.

Both were recently denied a new trial and have remained in prison.

The two men were found to have laundered $50,000 from an FBI informant who said he worked for the militant group and received the money from selling a shoulder-fired missile.

Aref, who came to the United States as a refugee, was the imam of an Albany mosque until it was raided and he was arrested in August 2004. He was expected to be deported after serving his prison time.

Hossain is a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Aref was also found guilty of falsely telling the FBI after his arrest that he did not know Mullah Krekar, Kurdish militant and leader of Ansar al-Islam, an Iraqi insurgent group the United States has linked to al Qaeda.