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Herald Square Subway Bomb Plotter Found Guilty
By
Jen Chung
Published May 25, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published May 25, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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Shahawar Matin Siraj was convicted of plotting to bomb the city's subways in a federal courthouse yesterday. Siraj, a young Pakistani immigrant who was arrested before the 2004 Republican National Convention, had claimed he was entrapped by a police informant into admitting the plot, which also including bombing police precincts and bridges. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said, "The verdict is an important milestone in safeguarding New York against terrorist plotters, whether homegrown or foreign." The NY Times notes that Siraj's lawyer Martin Stolar, who painted a portrait of Siraj being a dim man "ripe for manipulation," was disappointed but still praised the jury: "They did not convict my client merely because he's a Muslim accused of terrorism. They believed that the evidence did not make out the defense of entrapment, and they followed the law."
Siraj will be sentenced in October; though the crime can be punished with a life sentence, many believe he'll receive 20 to 30 years.
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Shahawar Matin Siraj
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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