SAN FRANCISCO, April 26: A Pakistani-American man was found guilty in a California court on Tuesday of undergoing Al Qaeda training just hours after a mistrial was declared in his father’s trial in the same case.
Jurors declared Hamid Hayat guilty of providing “material support” to the enemy by training in Pakistan as a terrorist and of lying about it to FBI agents, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
“Since the terrorist attacks of Sept 11, 2001, the number one priority of the Department (of Justice) has been to detect, disrupt and prevent terrorist acts,” said US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
“In this particular case, justice has been served against a man who supported and trained with our terrorist enemies in pursuit of his goal of violent jihad.”
Hayat faces up to 39 years in prison and is to be sentenced on July 14.
The verdict came just hours after the judge in the Sacramento, California district court dismissed a separate panel of jurors who couldn’t agree whether Hayat’s father, Umer, lied to the FBI about his son attending an Al Qaeda camp in Pakistan.
Hamid Hayat, 23, trained with militants in Pakistan and planned an attack in the United States, Assistant US Attorney Laura Ferris argued at his trial.
He purportedly had the blessing and support of his dad, according to prosecutors.
Umer Hayat, 48, originally told FBI agents his son had nothing to do with terror camps, but later confessed he paid for his son’s flight to Pakistan and had family connections to the camp, according to the FBI.—AFP
