“War is deceit,” said Muhammad. “Algerian who fabricated details of al-Qaida plot sent to prison,” from AP, with thanks to Skeetstreet:
INDIANAPOLIS — An Algerian man who lied about an al-Qaida plot to bomb five U.S. cities in an attempt to avoid deportation was sentenced Friday to a year in prison.
Ahmed Allali, 37, had pleaded guilty to three counts of making false statements for telling federal investigators he knew members of the al-Qaida terrorist network and had lived overseas with them in the late 1990s.
In addition to sentencing Allali to a year in prison, federal Judge Larry J. McKinney also imposed 3 years of supervised release following his release from prison.
Allali lied to members of the FBI”s Joint Terrorism Task Force when he told them he traveled into the United States in 1998 with al-Qaida members, prosecutors said.
The Algerian national, who was living in Indianapolis, also claimed that an al-Qaida cell was planning to detonate bombs in five major U.S. cities in early 2005.
Late last year, Allali acknowledged he knew no one associated with al-Qaida and had fabricated the story in an attempt to avoid deportation, authorities said….
Authorities have said the investigation tied up hundreds of agents nationwide, diverting resources from other terrorist leads.
“False reports drain already overburdened public safety agencies as well as create undue alarm at a time in this country where there is legitimate concern,” Brooks said.