An Oregon man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for planning to blow up a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony in Portland in 2004, The Oregonian reported.
Mohamed Mohamud, 23, unknowingly plotted with FBI agents posing as al Qaeda conspirators to detonate a bomb inside a truck, killing many in the crowd as they gathered at the Pioneer Courthouse Square for the annual festivities. He was found guilty last January of planning to use a weapon of mass destruction.
The Somali-American apologized in court on Wednesday before the U.S. District judge sentenced him to three decades for the foiled attack.
"The things I said and did were terrible," Mohamud said according to the newspaper. "I want to apologize to everyone, to the community."
Federal agents became suspicious of Mohamud after learning he wrote for an Internet jihadi publication and communicated via email with alleged terrorists, NBC News reported.
Undercover FBI agents pretended to be al-Qaeda members and befriended Mohamud. When it was time to carry out the Nov. 26, 2004, plot they provided a fake bomb. Mohamud, the detonator, was arrested after he pressed a button on a cellphone thinking the bomb would go off.
At his January 2013 trial, Mohamud's defense attorneys claimed he had no intentions of committing acts of terror until the government manipulated him, The Oregonian reported.
Prosecutors, however, were able to convince the jury that Mohamud long fantasized about attacking U.S. citizens since he was a teenager. There were many chances for Mohamud to back out, but he ignored them, prosecutors argued as they asked for a 40-year sentence.
"This is a sad case, but a 30-year sentence captures its severity," Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan D. Knight said according to the newspaper. "And hopefully it will deter the insidious role that violent extremism plays in our communities."
Mohamud's defense lawyers are expected to file an appeal within the next two weeks.
