A prominent US Muslim activist was sentenced on Friday to 23 years in prison for illegal financial dealings with Libya and for his role in a Libyan plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia's de facto leader. Abdurahman al-Amoudi, a naturalised US citizen born in Eritrea, apologised just before US Chief District Judge Claude Hilton read out his sentence - the maximum penalty allowed in a plea deal he made with the government.
"I regret my involvement in everything unlawful I did," said al-Amoudi, standing at a lectern dressed in a green jumpsuit with the word "prisoner" on the back.
In July al-Amoudi pleaded guilty to three charges - illegally receiving and attempting to export $340,000 in cash from a Libyan organisation and immigration and tax violations - as part of a plea deal.
Al-Amoudi, founder of the American Muslim Council and president of the American Muslim Federation, said in court documents filed with the plea deal that he played a role in a 2003 plot by Libya to assassinate Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah.
He admitted to contacting Saudi dissidents in London on behalf of some Libyan government officials who wanted them to kill Abdullah, the documents showed.
Al-Amoudi said he had been summoned to Tripoli by a Libyan official who said he was upset at how Abdullah had treated Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi during an Arab League Conference in March 2003.
The Libyan official told al-Amoudi he wanted to punish the Saudis and cause disruption and "headaches" in Saudi Arabia, the documents said.
In 2003 Al-Amoudi met with various officials in Libya and was told to have the Saudi dissidents arrange to assassinate Abdullah. He made contact with at least two Saudis in London and brought them hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash.