The right-hand man of the jailed terrorist known as “Hook” was given the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison Friday for planning to set up an al Qaeda training camp in Oregon in 1999.
Haroon Aswat, 41 — who pleaded guilty to conspiring with prosthetic-hand-wearing Abu Hamza al-Masri — tried to claim he was a peace-loving man when he spoke in Manhattan federal court before his sentence was handed down.
Abu Hamza al-MasriReuters“Peaceful greetings to everyone,” Aswat said in an eerie growl, before apologizing for breaking the law.
“I hope to live a peaceful and nonviolent life.”
That’s different than the story he gave when he pleaded guilty in March.
“I traveled to Bly, Oregon, to assist [in] the creation of a training camp, and the training of others, who wanted to participate in jihad on behalf of a terrorist organization,” Aswat had said.
