Al-Qosi, who moved to Afghanistan in 1996 to work with Islamic militants, struck a deal with U.S. military prosecutors in July 2010, pleading guilty to providing material support to terrorism and conspiracy in exchange for a 14-year sentence that would be shortened to two years from his conviction. It spared him the possibility of a much longer sentence, perhaps even life.
He was never accused of any specific acts of violence. He worked as a cook and helped gather supplies for a militant camp. His lawyer said he may have accompanied Osama bin Laden as part of an entourage but was never a member of the terrorist leader’s inner circle. Bin-Laden, founder of al-Qaida, was killed in a U.S. raid in Pakistan last year.
Prosecutors at his military tribunal argued that al-Qaida could not have operated without the support of people like al-Qosi and that such assistance amounted to war crimes.
In Sudan, he will not face additional confinement, though he will be monitored as part of the reintegration program. Later, he will move back to his hometown of Atbara, where his family has a farm and a store, he said.
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