FILE - This image provided by the Sherburne County Jail in Elk River, Minn., shows Abelhamid Al-Madioum, a Minnesota man who once fought for the Islamic State group in Syria. Al-Madioum expressed remorse and wept in open court Thursday as he was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. in Syria after becoming radicalized expressed remorse and wept in open court Thursday as he was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
When Al-Madioum rose to speak before being sentenced, he thanked the U.S. government for giving him another chance. He then turned to his address his parents and two young sons, who were rescued from a Syrian orphanage and brought to America with the help of federal authorities. Prosecutors had asked for a 12-year sentence, arguing that Al-Madioum’s suffering did not make his crimes any less serious. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Winter said Al-Madioum self-radicalized online and helped IS, also known as ISIS, carry out its goals.Manvir Atwal, Al-Madioum’s attorney requested a seven-year sentence. She said Al-Madioum was taken in as an impressionable teenager by a well-oiled propaganda machine.