Iraqi jailed for 25 years in U.S.

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: A U.S. federal judge Thursday sentenced an Iraqi-born Dutch citizen to 25 years in prison for conspiring to kill Americans in Iraq in the first case of its kind, the U.S. Justice Department said. “Wesam al-Delaema is a 36-year-old Dutch citizen born in Iraq who returned to his hometown of Falluja in October 2003 after the U.S. invasion. He videotaped himself showing off roadside bombs buried in the sand and praying to Allah that they would kill American troops passing by,” the Associated Press said on Friday. Prosecutors said it’s impossible to know whether the bombs on al-Delaema’s video were detonated or killed any Americans. But they note that within the next 10 days, four Americans were killed in two roadside bomb explosions in the area. “The United States agreed to send al-Delaema back to the Netherlands as part of an extradition agreement to try him in U.S. courts. Justice Department officials said in a statement after the sentence that it should serve notice that the United States will use all available tools to prosecute those who plot attacks against Americans in Iraq,” it said. Al-Delaema agreed to the 25-year sentence as part of a deal in which he pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder Americans. But his attorney said they are confident he’ll serve less time in his home country because Dutch sentencing laws aren’t as strict. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman said he wanted to create a record of both side’s evidence for the Dutch judge to review. He said he wished al-Delaema would serve the full 25 years, but acknowledged, “I’m not the final word here.” SH (S) 1