BUFFALO, N.Y., May 12 (UPI) -- One of six terror defendants in Buffalo, N.Y., pleaded guilty Monday to "providing material support" to al-Qaida, the organization believed to be behind the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Yasein Taher of Lackawanna, N.Y., and the other defendants were accused of attending an al-Qaida camp in Afghanistan.
He was the fifth defendant to plead guilty in the case.
The six defendants were charged in a two-count indictment in the Western District of New York last October with providing material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization, based on their attendance at the camp.
Taher pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny in Buffalo to count two of the indictment.
The plea agreement requires Taher to cooperate fully with the government's ongoing investigation in this and other terrorism probes.
Attorney General John Ashcroft said in a prepared statement that with Monday's plea, the Justice Department "continues to build on its strong record of prosecuting those who provide material support to our terrorist enemies. The cooperation we secure from defendants who trained side by side with our enemies in Afghanistan and elsewhere is valuable as we continue to wage the war on terrorism."
In the plea agreement, Taher admits that in April 2001, he agreed with co-defendants Yahya Goba, Shafal Mosed, Faysal Galab, Mukhtar Al-Bakri, Sahim Alwan and others to attend the al-Farooq military-type training camp in Afghanistan, the department said.
According to the plea agreement, Taher, Mosed and Galab arrived in Pakistan on or about April 29, 2001.
Also in the agreement, Taher admits traveling with Galab and Mosed to Quetta, Pakistan, where they stayed at a guest house believed to be associated with al-Qaida and its founder, Osama bin Laden.
Taher also admits traveling with Galab and Mosed to a guest house in Kandahar, and viewing a movie or videotape on the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole, the Justice Department said. Taher also admits traveling with Galab and Mosed to the al-Farooq training camp, and working under the direction and control of members of al-Qaida by receiving and taking orders from instructors at the camp.
In addition, Taher admits in the plea agreement that he received training and instruction on the use of weapons while at al-Farooq, including a Kalashnikov rifle, 9mm handgun, M-16 automatic rifle and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, along with training on explosives and tactics.
The agreement said that all persons at the camp, including Taher, were required to perform guard duty as part of their training.
One trainee at the camp asked for volunteers to sign up for suicide missions, again according to the plea agreement.
The agreement also said bin Laden visited al-Farooq while all six defendants were at the camp, and spoke about missions against the United States and Israeli interests.
The plea agreement also said Taher left al-Farooq shortly after the bin Laden speech and before completing all of the training that was available.
Taher faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both at sentencing at a later date, the government said.
Alwan pleaded guilty last month to providing material support to al-Qaida, admitting in court that he attended the al-Farooq training camp, met with bin Laden and transported videotapes from Kandahar, Afghanistan, to Karachi, Pakistan.
In March, Goba and Mosed also pleaded guilty to providing material support to al-Qaida.
In January, Galab pleaded guilty to contributing funds and services to specially designated terrorists, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
The State Department first officially designated al-Qaida a foreign terrorist organization in October 1999. The two-year designation was renewed in October 2001.
