Doctor Guilty of al-Qaeda Pledge

By Peter Fearon,  Newser Staff
Posted May 22, 2007 10:41 AM CDT
Doctor Guilty of al-Qaeda Pledge
Dr. Rafiq Abdus Sabir, is escorted back to a prison van after his court appearance in Ft. Pierce, Fla. in this 2005 file photo. Sabir was convicted Monday, May 21, 2007 of providing material support to terrorists by agreeing to treat injured al-Qaida fighters so they could return to Iraq to battle Americans....   (Associated Press)

A Muslim doctor from Florida who was caught in an FBI sting has been convicted of conspiring to provide material support to al-Qaeda. Rafiq Sabir, 52, faces up to 30 years in prison after he swore allegiance to Osama bin Laden to an undercover agent posing as an al-Qaeda recruiter and offered to treat their wounded.

Sabir, who was born and raised in New York, claims he did not realize the oath he took in Arabic referred to al-Qaeda. The doctor said he thought the oath was a bayat--a declaration of allegiance to Islam—and pledged to help treat his "brothers" out of medical obligation. (More FBI stories.)

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