New York, NY – A Syrian man convicted of giving a false tip to a New York City anti-terrorism hotline, leading to five innocent men being investigated on suspicion of terrorism, was sentenced today to six months in prison.
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Rimon Alkatri, 35, was convicted in November of calling a hotline that five fellow Syrians were planning a suicide attack on NYC subways over the July 4 holiday weekend, as was reported here on Vin News.
City officials dispatched dozens of police, conducted round-the-clock surveillance and sought help from Israeli law enforcement.
Police later learned four of the five men he implicated were former business associates with whom he had disputes.
The public was not informed until after Alkatri's arrest
"I'm sorry about what I did," Alkatri told Judge Raymond Wiley today.
But Wiley said that Alkatri had to take responsibility for the suffering of the men he named, who were interrogated and whose homes were searched. A less professional police force "would have locked these gentlemen up and asked questions later," the judge said.
Speaking outside the courthouse, Fares Almari, one of the victims, said he was disappointed.
"Six months only?" Almari said. "We've been suffering for one and a half years. I will work all of my life to sue this guy. I will spend each dollar I have."
Alktari will face deportation proceedings following his release, a move his lawyer said in the past could be fatal since he is Jewish. [Reuters]
He comes here for “refuge” and then abuses the system for business purposes? He doesn’t belong here.
harsh? they weren’t strict enough. And not that life is so great for the Jews in Syria, but does anybody really believe he’ll be killed? Was he here legally or not?
Everyone feels sorry for the suffering of the innocently accused men. And MR. Alkatri should take personal responsibility for his actions. But
when this case is weighed against the overall state of affairs, we can see that the main reason they were dealt with so harshly was because of the past and present threat of terrorism emanating from that region (the Middle Eastern Countries) and the groups hailing from there.