Tarek Mehanna

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Tarek Mehanna is an American pharmacist convicted of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists for translating and posting statements on the internet for Al-Qaeda and lying to authorities.

Upbringing

Mehanna was born in Pennsylvania[1] and grew up in Sudbury, Massachusetts, a small town near Boston. His parents emigrated to the United States from Egypt in 1980.[2]

Involvement with Al-Qaeda

In 2004, Mehanna spent two weeks in Yemen, where prosecutors proved he tried but failed to seek out training in a militant training camp, with the aim of going to Iraq fighting with Iraqis against the US-led invasion and occupation. When he returned to the U.S., Mehanna began to translate and post online materials described by prosecutors as Al Qaeda propaganda.[3]Mehanna has said that he supports the right of Muslims to defend themselves.[4] His lawyers argued that his internet activities were protected under the U.S. First Amendment.[5]

US Attorney Carmen Ortiz led the prosecution of Mehanna. In April 2012, Mehanna was sentenced in federal court in Boston on four terrorism-related charges and three others related to lying to FBI and other U.S. federal officials. Before his sentence was determined, he made a statement described by journalists as "eloquent,"[4] and "passionate,"[6] the text of which was afterwards widely circulated online.[7][8]

Mehanna has appealed his case to the First Circuit Court of Appeals;[9] oral argument was held on July 30, 2013 in Boston.[10] At oral argument, Mehanna's side was argued by P. Sabin Willett, and the United States was represented by Liza Collery of the Department of Justice.[11]

Following Mehanna's sentencing, the ACLU released a statement saying that the suppression of unpopular ideas is contrary to American values, and that the verdict undermines the First Amendment.[12] Specifically, it stated, "Under the government's theory of the case, ordinary people--including writers and journalists, academic researchers, translators, and even ordinary web surfers--could be prosecuted for researching or translating controversial and unpopular ideas."

See also

References

Wikisource has original text related to this article:
  1. ↑ Lovering, Daniel (12 April 2012). "Massachusetts man convicted of aiding al Qaeda to be sentenced". Reuters U.S. Edition. Retrieved 17 April 2012. 
  2. ↑ "US man gets 17 years prison on terror charges". Agence France Presse. 13 April 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2012. 
  3. ↑ Crimaldi, Laura (12 April 2012). "US man sentenced in plot to help al-Qaida". The Daily Star (Lebanon). Retrieved 17 April 2012. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Caputi, Ross (16 April 2012). "Tarek Mehanna: punished for speaking truth to power". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 April 2012. 
  5. ↑ Ariosto, David (12 April 2012). "Man gets 17½-year prison term in Massachusetts terror case". CNN. Retrieved 17 April 2012. 
  6. ↑ Holmes, Rick (16 April 2012). "RICK HOLMES: Incapacitating Tarek Mehanna". Taunton Daily Gazette. Retrieved 17 April 2012. 
  7. ↑ Greenwald, Glenn (13 April 2012). "The real criminals in the Tarek Mehanna case". Salon magazine. Retrieved 17 April 2012. 
  8. ↑ Valencia, Milton J. (13 April 2012). "Mehanna gets more than 17 years in jail". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 17 April 2012. 
  9. ↑ United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (April 13, 2013). "USA v. Mehanna et al". Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved July 3, 2013. "#433: NOTICE OF APPEAL by Tarek Mehanna in re 432 Judgment" 
  10. ↑ United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (June 18, 2013). "US v. Mehanna". Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved July 3, 2013. "CASE calendared: Tuesday, 07/30/2013 AM Boston, MA Panel Courtroom." 
  11. ↑ United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (June 19, 2013). "US v. Mehanna". Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. "DESIGNATION of attorney presenting oral argument filed by Attorney Peter Sabin Willett for Appellant Tarek Mehanna" 
  12. ↑ "Mehanna Verdict Compromises First Amendment, Undermines National Security". American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved 17 April 2012. 

External links

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