Toronto

Mississauga teen convicted of plotting New York City attacks appeals

Lawyers for a young Canadian jailed in the US for plotting attacks on New York City are appealing his conviction and 40-year sentence.

40-year sentence handed was inhumane given Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy's youth, lawyers say

Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy of Mississauga, Ont., was sentenced On Dec. 18 in New York to 40 years in prison for plotting terror attacks on city landmarks. (Submitted by El Bahnasawy family)

Lawyers for a young Canadian jailed in the U-S for plotting attacks on New York City are appealing his conviction and 40-year sentence.

They say the trial judge violated Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy's rights by denying him the right to a lawyer of his choosing.

They also say the 40-year sentence he was handed was inhumane given his youth, mental-health issues and addictions.

El-Bahnasawy was a 17-year-old living at home in Mississauga, Ontario, when he met an undercover FBI agent online.

The defence argued the agent then encouraged him to plan attacks on the Big Apple, while prosecutors said the plot was well underway before the two connected.

El Bahnasawy was arrested as an 18-year-old on the outskirts of New York in May 2016.