LA Airport 'millennium bomber' jailed for 22 years
27.07.05
Ahmed Ressam, the Algerian man convicted of plotting to blow up Los Angeles airport five years ago, was sentenced to 22 years in jail today
Ressam was arrested by US customs in December 1999 on the eve of the new millennium as he crossed by ferry from British Columbia on Canada's west coast into the US. Officers found bomb-making materials in the boot of his car.
He was convicted in 2001 of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act and smuggling explosives, but was not sentenced because he was helping the authorities. After his arrest, Ressam reportedly helped the US authorities identify more than 100 people with alleged links to al-Qaeda. He also provided information about the network's training camps in Afghanistan.
Ressam stopped co-operating in 2003 after being placed in solitary confinement. He was sentenced to 22 year in jail today.
