An Iraqi court has sentenced an American citizen to life in prison on charges of assisting al-Qaida and financing terrorist activities in Iraq, according to a government statement.
The Interior Ministry said Omar Rashad Khalil, 53, was recruited by al-Qaida in Iraq in 2005. Khalil, an architectural engineer, is of Palestinian descent and entered Iraq in 2001, the ministry statement said.
The ministry released excerpts from a confession it said Khalil made in which he admitted to receiving money from a Syrian man in the United Arab Emirates to pay for terror attacks.
Also known as Abu Mohammed, Khalil was sentenced by Baghdad’s central criminal court on Wednesday. Iraqi government officials could not immediately be reached for more details Thursday.
A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Frank J. Finver, said embassy officials were aware of the reports and were checking them. He declined immediate comment.
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