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| Mohamed Mamdouh |
(Scroll down for video) A Muslim man was arrested and charged with terror related charges after planning to blow up synagogues in New York, according to New York Police Department, police reports.
The U.S. citizen of Moroccan origin who was accused in a police sting of conspiring to blow up synagogues in New York will spend five years in prison.
Mohamed Mamdouh was sentenced Friday in state court in Manhattan.
He previously pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy as an act of terrorism.
The other defendant, Ahmed Ferhani was sentenced last month to 10 years in prison.
Authorities said that the two Queens, New York men wanted to avenge what they saw as the mistreatment of Muslims worldwide.
Mamdouh immigrated with his family in 1999. His parents are local business owners.
“Hopefully, the harsh prison sentence will send a message to terrorists to give up on terrorism and seek dialogue for peace,” Hillel Deutsch, 43, of Brooklyn, New York told YourJewishNews.com after learning about the sentence.
As we reported earlier, a Muslim terrorist was arrested, charged and convicted after plotting to bomb synagogues in New York City, according to court proceedings in New York City.
Now, the Algerian man who pleaded guilty to terrorism charges was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison.
Ahmed Ferhani was one of two men arrested several years ago after purchasing weapons in an undercover sting. Police called him a homegrown terrorist to avenge abuse of Muslims around the world, but a grand jury refused to indict Ferhani and another co-defendant of the top terror charge.
Ferhani apologized to his family in court, saying he was sorry and would use his years behind bars to strengthen his mind and character.
An undercover detective, who recorded Ferhani for several months, heard the unemployed aspiring actor say that he hated Jews and was fed up with the way Muslims were treated around the world, officials said. Ferhani and a co-defendant were arrested several years ago after telling an undercover investigator his desire to attack synagogues and take a step toward violence, officials said. Ferhani bought weapons, ammunition and a hand grenade.
Ferhani pleaded guilty late last year to conspiracy as a crime of terrorism, criminal possession of a weapon as a crime of terrorism, criminal sale of a firearm as a crime of terrorism and other crimes. He would have faced more jail time if he had been convicted at trial.
Ferhani said in his plea that he repeatedly spoke of his anger at Jews, admitted the purchase of arms and planning the attack.
"By attacking a synagogue, I knew it was a Jewish house of worship, in this way, was intended to create chaos and send a message of intimidation to the Jewish population of the city of New York. It was also meant as a warning to stop the abuse against Muslims," he said at the time.