


A federal court in Virginia has imposed the harshest possible sentence on a local man convicted of terrorism.
Amine El-Khalifi, 29, of Alexandria, Va., was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his part in a plot to detonate a suicide bomb at the U.S. Capitol.
El-Khalifi admitted plotting with undercover agents he believed were from al-Qaida and volunteering to run a suicide operation at the Capitol, going so far as to don what he thought was a bomb-laden vest.
At Friday's hearing, El-Khalifi expressed no remorse, saying only that he loves Allah.
Defense lawyers say the sting operation preyed on El-Khalifi's financial woes by giving him nearly $6,000.
Prosecutors say El-Khalifi came to authorities' attention in part by answering a Facebook post seeking to recruit Muslim holy warriors.

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