Posted on 01/16/2008 2:42:32 PM PST by knighthawk
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Syrian man convicted of giving a false tip to a New York City anti-terrorism hotline, leading to five innocent men being investigated on suspicion of terrorism, was sentenced on Wednesday to six months in prison.
Rimon Alkatri, 35, was convicted in November of calling a hotline to offer a tip about five fellow Syrians whom he accused of planning a suicide attack on New York City subways over the July 4 holiday weekend.
City officials dispatched dozens of police, conducted round-the-clock surveillance and sought help from Israeli law enforcement, prosecutors told a jury at the New York State Supreme Court.
The public was not informed until after Alkatri's arrest. Police later learned four of the five men he implicated were former business associates with whom he had disputes.
"I'm sorry about what I did," Alkatri told Judge Raymond Wiley on Wednesday.
But Wiley said that Alkatri had to take responsibility for the suffering of the men he named, who were interrogated and whose homes were searched. A less professional police force "would have locked these gentlemen up and asked questions later," the judge said.
Speaking outside the courthouse, Fares Almari, one of the victims, said he was disappointed.
"Six months only?" Almari said. "We've been suffering for one and a half years. I will work all of my life to sue this guy. I will spend each dollar I have."
Alktari will face deportation proceedings following his release.
(Reporting by Edith Honan, editing by Alan Elsner)
Ping
Dude’s a major jerk.
Ping.
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