WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales praised Thursday's conviction of a lawyer in New York for smuggling notes from an imprisoned terrorist.
The conviction of civil rights attorney Lynne Stewart and two other men on terrorism charges "is an important step in the Justice Department's war on terrorism," Gonzales said. "The convictions handed down by a federal jury in New York today send a clear, unmistakable message that this department will pursue both those who carry out acts of terrorism and those who assist them with their murderous goals."
Stewart was convicted of smuggling notes from her client, blind Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, to his fellow terrorists. Abdel-Rahman, who was in solitary confineman at the time, was convicted in 1996 of conspiring to kill Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and conspiring to blow up New York buildings and facilities.
A U.S. postal worker, Ahmed Abdel Sattar, and a third suspect, Mohamed Yousry, also were convicted on terrorism charges.
