A Vietnamese man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison by a federal judge who said she was inclined to believe the US government's contention that he plotted to carry out a suicide bombing at London's Heathrow Airport.
Minh Quang Pham was sentenced today in New York for providing material support in 2011 to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. He said he never intended to harm anybody, and no attack occurred.
Prosecutors say Pham was directed by al-Qaida leader Anwar Al-Awlaki to detonate explosives in the arrivals area. Pham had pleaded guilty in January to terrorism charges, but he didn't agree that he intended to carry out the plot.
He was extradited from London in March 2015.
Pham faced a minimum 30 years in prison. Prosecutors requested 50 years.
