A man linked to a group of American Muslims who participated in paramilitary training to prepare for Jihad abroad was sentenced to over ten years in federal prison for lying to authorities.

Sabri Benkahla, 32, was sentenced on July 24, 2007, of perjury before the grand jury, obstruction of justice and making false statements to the FBI.  Prosecutors said that Benkahla misled a grand jury about his contacts on a 1999 trip to a training camp run by Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S.

Prosecutors argued that Benkahla’s lies promoted terrorism by obstructing a wide-ranging terror investigation.  In addition to his prison sentence, Benkahla was ordered to pay a $17,500 fine.

Benkahla was one of 11 men, dubbed by prosecutors as the “Virginia Jihad Network,” indicted in by a grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, in 2003.  The men purchased weapons and ammunition and trained with them at local firing ranges.  They also trained by gathering for paintball games in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.  Seven of the defendants traveled to Pakistan to train with Lashkar-e-Taiba. 

Nine of the men received sentences ranging from four years to life in prison. The group’s spiritual leader, Ali al-Timimi, is serving a life sentence for counseling and advising his followers to engage in terrorist activities.

Benkahla was tried separately and acquitted of all charges. Following his acquittal, Benkahla was granted statutory immunity and in 2004 he testified twice before the grand jury and submitted to interviews with the FBI.  It was during the testimony and interviews that he made the false statements for he was convicted.