New York, NY, January 17, 1996 ...The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today expressed satisfaction with the sentences handed down to Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman and nine of his followers for conspiring to carry out a campaign of terrorism against New York City landmarks and officials.

David H. Strassler, ADL National Chairman and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:

We are satisfied that justice has been served in the case of Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman and his followers in their bid to wage a war of urban terrorism in New York City to promote their extremist political agenda. We are also gratified that El Sayyid Nosair will finally serve time for the murder of Rabbi Meir Kahane.

In the investigation, prosecution and sentencing of the individuals involved in this plot, the American law enforcement and judicial systems demonstrated that the United States will not tolerate terrorism and extremism. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York City Police Department, the U.S. Attorney's Office, the jury and Judge Michael Mukasey must be commended for uncovering this terrorist ring and bringing them to justice.

Strong counterterrorism initiatives and effective law enforcement are the major antidotes to terrorism here in the United States and around the world . We hope that the House of Representatives will act quickly and pass the Comprehensive Antiterrorism Act which has been stalled for months.

The ADL, through its Leon and Marilyn Klinghoffer Memorial Foundation and William and Naomi Gorowitz Institute on Terrorism and Extremism, works to combat the threat of terrorism through educational, political and legal means.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.