Canadian pleads guilty in U.S. to supporting al-Qaeda

A Canadian terror suspect who has been held in solitary confinement for more than five years pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiring to provide support and resources to al-Qaeda, U.S. prosecutors announced in Minneapolis.

Mohammed Abdullah Warsame's guilty plea comes about two weeks after his lawyers asked that he be released while awaiting trial on charges that also included lying to the FBI.

As part of a plea agreement, he admitted to a single count of conspiring to support al-Qaeda. The other charges will be dismissed.

Authorities have alleged Warsame, a Canadian of Somalian descent, once dined with Osama bin Laden, fought with the Taliban and attended training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Warsame, 35, is in federal custody, and it wasn't immediately clear whether he would be released or have to serve additional time after sentencing July 9.

While Warsame faces a statutory maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, the federal sentencing guidelines usually result in lesser sentences.

The U.S. attorney's office said Warsame has agreed to be deported to Canada upon completion of his sentence.

Warsame's lead attorney, David Thomas, and Peter Erlinder, a William Mitchell College of Law professor who's been helping the defence, did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.

Under the plea agreement, Warsame admitted to conspiring with others to provide al-Qaeda with personnel, training and currency starting in March 2000. He travelled to Afghanistan and attended several al-Qaeda training camps, including one where authorities said he met bin Laden.

Warsame returned to Canada in March 2001, then relocated to Minneapolis. Throughout 2002 and 2003, he exchanged emails and provided information to several people associated with al-Qaeda, according to the plea agreement.

Warsame has been in custody since Dec. 8, 2003. Until Wednesday, Warsame had said he never knowingly attended an al-Qaeda training camp.