Jihad co-conspirator sent to prison

A Massachusetts man who wanted to wage jihad against Americans was sentenced Thursday to 17 1/2 years in prison. Tarek Mehanna, 29, of Sudbury, Mass., was given the prison term by U.S. District Judge George A. O'Toole Jr. for his conviction last year on four terrorism-related charges and three counts related to providing false information to the government. Mehanna also will serve seven years of supervised release following his incarceration, a U.S. Justice Department release said. Authorities said Mehanna and co-conspirators talked about their desire to participate in violent jihad against American interests and their desire to die on the battlefield. They tried to persuade others to join them, as well. Mehanna and two associates traveled to the Middle East in 2004, seeking to take part in a terrorist training camp to prepare for armed jihad against U.S. interests, including U.S. and allied forces in Iraq, federal authorities said.