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Monday, February 01, 2010 - 06.25 GMT |
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Two LTTE supporters in US sentenced for conspiring to provide material to LTTE |
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The
Brooklyn
federal
courthouse
on
January
26
sentenced
two LTTE
supporters
to 25
years in
prison
and five
years of
supervised
release
in
connection
with
their
efforts
to
purchase
almost
$1million
worth of
high-powered
weaponry
for LTTE.
The
sentences
were
imposed
by Chief
United
States
District
Judge
Raymond
J.
Dearie.
In
January
2009,
the
defendants
Thiruthanikan
Thanigasalam
and
Sahilal
Sabaratnam
pled
guilty
to
conspiring
and
attempting
to
provide
material
support
to the
LTTE and
conspiring
and
attempting
to
acquire
guided
surface-to-air
missiles
and
missile
launchers,
a US
Embassy
press
release
said.
On
August
19,2006,
Thanigasalam,
Sabaratnam
and two
co-defendants
were
arrested
on Long
Island
after
engaging
in
negotiations
with an
undercover
FBI
agent to
purchase
and
export
20 SA-18
heat-seeking
missiles,
ten
missile
launchers,
500
AK-47s,
and
other
military
equipment
for the
LTTE.
The
defendants
were
acting
at the
direction
of
senior
LTTE
leadership
in Sri
Lanka,
including
Pottu
Amman,
the
LTTE’s
chief of
intelligence
and
procurement
and the
right-hand
man to
LTTE
leader
Velupillai
Prabakharan.
The LTTE
intended
to use
the
SA-18
missiles
to shoot
down
Kfir
aircraft
used by
the Sri
Lankan
military.
In 1997,
the LTTE
was
designated
by the
U.S.
State
Department
as a
Foreign
Terrorist
Organization
and
therefore
may not
legally
raise
money or
procure
equipment
or
materials
in the
United
States.
The
government’s
case is
being
prosecuted
by
Assistant
United
States
Attorneys
Greg D.
Andres,
Marshall
L.
Miller,
Andrew
E.
Goldsmith,
and
Jeffrey
H. Knox.
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