Padilla Sentenced to 17 Years

A federal judge sentenced Jose Padilla to 17 years and 4 months today following his conviction for conspiring to commit murder and otherwise aid Islamic terrorists around the world, the Miami Herald reports. Although the court invoked “terrorism enhancement” to lengthen the sentences of Padilla and his two co-conspirators, prosecutors, who had sought life for Padilla, said they would appeal.

Padilla, 37, is an American citizen who trained with al-Qaeda and was designated an enemy combatant. He became a symbol of the Bush administration’s treatment of terrorism suspects following accusations that he had plotted to execute a “dirty bomb” attack inside the US. He was never charged with that offense, and the courts focused on his participation in a terror network. (More Jose Padilla stories.)