Two men from the U.S. state of New Jersey have each been sentenced to at least 20 years in prison for conspiring to join the Al-Qaeda-linked militant group Al-Shabaab in Somalia.
Mohamed Alessa, 23, and Carlos Almonte, 27, had pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder people outside the United States on behalf of Al-Shabaab.
On April 15, Alessa was given a 22-year prison sentence, while Almonte received 20 years.
The men were arrested in June 2010 at John F. Kennedy airport in New York as they were seeking to board flights to Egypt, en route to Somalia.
In statements before their sentencing, both men expressed remorse and said they had been misguided and troubled young people.
Mohamed Alessa, 23, and Carlos Almonte, 27, had pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder people outside the United States on behalf of Al-Shabaab.
On April 15, Alessa was given a 22-year prison sentence, while Almonte received 20 years.
The men were arrested in June 2010 at John F. Kennedy airport in New York as they were seeking to board flights to Egypt, en route to Somalia.
In statements before their sentencing, both men expressed remorse and said they had been misguided and troubled young people.
