A Virginia man accused of lying about his involvement with a prominent Islamic figure in Dublin has been jailed for more than 10 years for obstruction of justice.
Sabri Benkahla (32) is the first person to be jailed under legislation covering obstruction of terrorist investigations after refusing to explain his relationship with south Dublin resident Ibrahim Buisir (42) and two other men.
He had been placed under criminal immunity by the FBI as long as he provided information about other Islamic suspects, but refused to do so. During his trial on the obstruction charge, the FBI claimed it found Mr Buisir's handwritten name and contact details in Benkahla's wallet.
Mr Buisir, originally from Libya and now living in south Dublin, was an executive member of the Islamic Foundation of Ireland at the time of the investigation.
He strongly denies US government claims that he raised money for al-Qaeda as controller of a Dublin Islamic charity known as Mercy International Relief Agency.
He has acted as the Irish representative for a respectable Islamic charity that funds relief efforts around the world.
However, he has been named on a list of specially designated global terrorists by the US government along with Manaf Kasmuri of Malaysia, both of whom Benkahla was accused of contacting, along with Ahmed Abu Ali, Benkhala's fellow student at the Islamic University of Medina in Saudi Arabia.
During Benkahla's trial, it emerged that both a grand jury and the FBI had sought to question him in 2004 about his involvement with Mr Buisir.
Benkahla was sentenced to 121 months in prison and ordered to pay a $17,500 fine for perjury and obstruction of justice before the grand jury and for making a false statement to the FBI.