Saturday, April 18, 2009
Wesam al-Delaema, a 36-year-old Iraqi-born citizen of the Netherlands, became the first Iraq war insurgent to be prosecuted in an American court on Thursday, receiving a 25-year sentence for plotting to kill US soldiers. But al-Delaema will not serve any of his sentence in an American prison, and may very well spend even less time behind bars. That’s because the Bush administration agreed two years ago to send al-Delaema, if convicted, back to the Netherlands as part of his extradition to the US. Judge Paul L. Friedman was not happy when he delivered the sentence, due to the fact that al-Delaema’s case will be reviewed by a Dutch court that may reduce the prison sentence.
Al-Delaema pled guilty to conspiracy to murder American nationals outside the United States, and for assaulting a jail guard in December 2007. He admitted traveling to Iraq in 2003 to be a member of the group Mujaheddin From Fallujah. But prosecutors and defense lawyers disagreed over whether al-Delaema, who grew up in Fallujah, could be considered a terrorist as defined under federal sentencing guidelines. Judge Friedman said he should.
The Justice Department said it was pleased with the outcome of the case.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
U.S. Judge Sentences Iraqi Insurgent to 25 Years (by David Stout, New York Times)
U.S. Judge Sentences Dutch Man to 25 Years for Crimes in Iraq (by Del Quentin Wilber,
Washington Post)
Washington Post)
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