Ali Charaf Damache is accused of plotting to assassinate a Swedish cartoonist in 2009.
An Irish citizen accused of being an al-Qaeda operative has pleaded guilty to a terror charge in Philadelphia.
Ali Charaf Damache, an Algerian born Irish citizen originally pleaded not guilty to the crime.
Damache is accused of recruiting an American woman known as ‘Jihad Jane’, who’s real name is Colleen La Rose in a plot to assassinate a Swedish cartoonist in 2009.
Damache was formerly based in Ireland, with an address in Waterford, but the High Court refused to extradite him to the US in May 2015. However, he later relocated to Spain, where he was arrested and extradited to America.
The Algerian born man has agreed to a 15-year prison term, ending one of Philadelphia’s longest-running terrorism cases.
According to Philly.com, he conspired with Colleen LaRose, who was sentenced to 10 years in jail in 2014 for plotting the murder of Swedish artist Lars Vilks.
They were plotting against Vilks due to his cartoons portraying the prophet Mohamed as a dog.
Just eight months earlier, Damache interrupted one of his court appearances, as he demanded that he be allowed to fire his lawyer. He claimed that he had been fed false promises of a shorter sentence in exchange for cooperating with authorities.
As part of his deal with prosecutors, Damache has agreed to accept the maximum sentence on a count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, and said he would not fight attempts to deport him to Ireland or Algeria once he has completed his prison term.
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