Substantial assistance

Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to reduce the 23-year prison sentence given to Muslim activist, Abdurahman Alamoudi, who pled guilty to an assassination plot against King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in 2004. Alamoudi, 59, of Falls Church has been incarcerated since his arrest in September 2003. He pleaded guilty to illegal financial transactions with the Libyan government and admitted to playing a role in the conspiracy to assassinate then-Prince Abdullah.

"Those who cozy up with state sponsors of terrorism will not be tolerated," said Paul McNulty, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, in 2003, according to CNN. He vowed that the indictment of Alamoudi was part of the nation's commitment to "prosecute those who take secret money from state sponsors of terrorism."

The documents explaining why prosecutors have moved to lighten Alamoudi's sentence are hidden from the public, and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Alexandria refused to say how many years they have asked to be cut. Sentence reductions are usually made after a prisoner has provided substantial information to federal agents. There has been conjecture that Alamoudi's cooperation may be related to the turmoil in Libya, as he had extensive connections with Libyan officials before his imprisonment. Alamoudi traveled to Libya almost a dozen times between 2000 and 2003.

According to court documents, Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi wanted Abdullah assassinated after a 2003 Arab League Summit where Gadhafi felt insulted. At one point during the meeting, Abdullah pointed at Gadhafi and declared, "Your lies precede you, while the grave is ahead of you."

A naturalized American citizen, Alamoudi became a well-known Muslim activist, founding the American Muslim Council and the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veteran Affairs Council. He was invited to the White House during the Clinton administration and met with George W. Bush in 2000 for a group discussion with Muslim activists in Texas. Alamoudi was arrested at Dulles International Airport as he returned from a trip overseas. The request for a reduced sentence must be approved by U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton who will issue his decision in a written ruling.

In previous cases, the government has requested sentences to be reduced by more than 50 percent in exchange for "substantial assistance." According to the Associated Press, both Alamoudi's lawyer, Henry St. John Fitzgerald, and the Saudi embassy refused a request for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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