Homeland security works.
NEW YORK (AP) -- A Pakistani man convicted of agreeing to help an al Qaeda operative with terrorist plans sneak into the United States was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in federal prison.
Judge Sidney H. Stein said Uzair Paracha knew what he was doing when he agreed to help a former Baltimore, Maryland resident trying to sneak back into the United States from Pakistan.
His father, Saifullah Paracha, is being held as an enemy combatant at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He has denied involvement in terrorism, though documents indicate he is suspected of laundering money for terrorists and associating with al Qaeda figures.
The government said Majid Khan plotted with al Qaeda leaders to bomb underground storage tanks in gas stations in Maryland, and enlisted Uzair Paracha to pose as Khan so he could obtain immigration documents necessary for Khan to re-enter the United States. Khan never made it into the country and the attack never took place.
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