WASHINGTON, April 6 (Reuters) – A judge sentenced a
Baltimore man to serve 25 years in a federal prison on Friday
for a plot to bomb a U.S. military recruiting center in Maryland
as revenge for American policy towards Muslims.
Antonio Martinez, who recently converted to Islam and is
also known as Muhammad Hussain, pleaded guilty in January to
charges of plotting to detonate a car bomb outside the
recruiting center in Catonsville, Maryland, in what had been an
FBI-run undercover operation.
In recorded conversations with a confidential source and an
FBI undercover agent, Martinez voiced anger toward the United
States, his belief that Muslims were being unjustly killed by
the U.S. military and his desire to send a message that soldiers
would be killed unless the country stopped its “war” on Islam.
Several people he initially attempted to recruit to join in
the operation all declined and one of them attempted to persuade
him to drop the idea, the Justice Department has said.
The case is one of a series of undercover sting operations
involving possible terrorism threats conducted by U.S. law
enforcement authorities in recent months, which have drawn some
criticism from Muslims groups concerned about being targeted.
The 25-year prison sentence handed down by Judge Frederick
Motz had been agreed upon as part of the plea deal between
federal prosecutors and Martinez.
(Reporting By Jeremy Pelofsky; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
