What surprised me was a patriotic speach by judge.
Another note - this so called Al Qaeda member was a British citizen. Will USA include all UK passport holders for compulsory registration in USA ?
http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/reid_sentence030130.html
Life in Prison
Shoe Bomber Unrepentant at His Sentencing for Trying to Blow Up Plane
The Associated Press
B O S T O N, Jan. 30 — Richard C. Reid, a self-described member of the terrorist group al Qaeda who tried to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight with explosives hidden in his shoes, was dragged from a federal courtroom after being sentenced to life in prison, telling the federal judge: “You will be judged by Allah!”
Reid, 29, remained defiant, describing himself as a soldier of war and denouncing American policies against Muslim nations. But U.S. District Judge William Young delivered a patriotic speech praising American ideals and condemning Reid and anti-American terrorists around the world.
“We are not afraid of any of your terrorist co-conspirators, Mr. Reid,” the judge said. "We are Americans. We have been through the fire before.
“You are not an enemy combatant — you are a terrorist. You are not a soldier in any war — you are a terrorist. To call you a soldier gives you far too much stature. You are a terrorist and we do not negotiate with terrorists. We hunt them down one by one and bring them to justice.”
At that, Young pointed to the American flag unfurled behind him.
“You see that flag, Mr. Reid? That’s the flag of the United States of America. That flag will fly there long after this is long forgotten.”
Young then turned to one of the court officers and yelled, “Custody, Mr. Officer. Stand him down.” Before handcuffs could be placed on Reid, he leaned across defense table and pointed at the judge, raising his voice.
“You are not going to stand me down,” Reid said. “You will be judged by Allah.” He was then taken from the courtroom in handcuffs, struggling the whole way.
‘Your Government Sponsored the Torture of Muslims’
Reid, a British citizen, admitted he tried to ignite shoe bombs aboard American Airlines Flight 63 on Dec. 22, 2001, three months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks left many Americans afraid to fly.
In court today, Reid angrily denounced American policy toward Islamic countries.
“Your government has sponsored the torture of Muslims in Iraq, and Turkey, and Jordan and Syria with their money and weapons,” he said, before then telling the judge “it’s in your hands.”
As Reid sought to justify his actions, several of the crew members who were on board the flight looked stunned, glancing at each other and shaking their heads. One woman cried and wiped tears from her face.
Reid had faced 60 years to life in prison for trying to down the American Airlines flight bound from Paris to Miami. Prosecutors said there were enough plastic explosives in his shoes to blow a hole in the fuselage and kill all 197 people aboard.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. told the judge that in Reid’s mind “the religion of Islam justifies the killing of innocent civilians. In his mind, the horrific and homicidal attacks of Sept. 11 were but a missed opportunity.”
Passengers and crew members overpowered Reid, using seat belts and their own belts to strap him to his seat. Two doctors who were passengers injected him with sedatives, and the flight was diverted to Boston.
Thwarted ‘Mission of Murder’
When Reid pleaded guilty last October, he said he was a member of al Qaeda, pledged his support to terrorist leader Osama bin Laden and declared himself an enemy of the United States.
“Basically I got on the plane with a bomb. Basically I tried to ignite it. Basically, yeah, I intended to damage the plane,” Reid said that day with a laugh.
His lead lawyer, Owen Walker, argued that Reid should be considered a soldier of war and part of a “current historical phenomenon that we don’t understand.”
Reid’s lawyers say Reid credits his religion with saving him from a life of drug use and despair. They describe a troubled childhood and young adulthood, when Reid was plagued by poverty, feelings of uselessness, racism and crime. Reid is the son of a British mother and a Jamaican father.
