Section: Current Affairs - Category: Current Affairs
Zachary Chesser of Virginia, who converted to a militant form of Islam, had pleaded guilty to three charges, including threatening the lives of ‘South Park’ writers and participants in ‘Everybody Draw Mohammed Day.’ This undated file picture released by the SITE Institute on July 21, 2010, shows Zachary Adam Chesser standing in front of the White House in
Washington . Mr. Chesser was sentenced Thursday, having pleaded guilty in October to providing material support to a US-designated terrorist group and making threats against the writers of the ‘South Park’ TV show and other cartoonists.
A Muslim convert and college dropout was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Thursday after pleading guilty to attempting to provide material support to a Somali-based terrorist group and threatening the lives of the writers of the “South Park” satiric television show for portraying the prophet Muhammad in a bear suit.
Zachary Adam Chesser, 21, of Fairfax, Va., had also posted on a militant Islamic website the names and addresses of participants in another satiric effort, an “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day” sponsored by a group of artists on Facebook. He advised the militant Muslim followers of the website
Facebook
: “Just a place to start.”
Lawyers for Mr. Chesser portray him as a confused, immature person who tended to dive wholeheartedly into new experiences. In an 18-month period in 2009 and 2010, he went from being a student at George Mason University to converting to Islam and becoming a close follower of radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. In the process he came to embrace the most violent form of
Islam advocated by
Al Qaeda
and other Muslim terror groups.
Since his arrest last year, Chesser has repudiated violence and says he feels remorse for his earlier conduct. His lawyers had urged that he receive a 20-year
sentence
Federal prosecutors asked the judge to send Chesser to prison for 30 years.
