'American Taliban' changes his plea to avoid life sentence

John Walker Lindh, the so-called American Taliban, pleaded guilty yesterday in a deal with prosecutors that will spare him a trial and the prospect of life imprisonment. But he is certain to spend a considerable time in jail, possibly as much as 20 years.

Lindh pleaded guilty to two charges – one of providing aid to the Taliban in violation of US law and a second of carrying explosives. Both carry maximum sentences of 10 years imprisonment, likely be applied consecutively.

The 21-year-old from California had been facing 10 charges, including one of conspiracy to murder US nationals after he was captured along with other Taliban in Afghanistan last year. This, and a further two counts, carried a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Yesterday in a surprise move at a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, Lindh's lawyer informed the judge that his client had changed his plea to guilty. Judge Ellis, who was said to have learnt of the deal only 20 minutes before the hearing, asked Lindh whether he wished to waive his right to a trial. Lindh replied: "Yes, Sir."

The judge then asked Lindh a series of standard questions about his background to which he replied: "I attended some college in California as well as Yemen." Finally the judge asked him if he felt able to make a decision about his future. "Yes," Lindh replied.

Lindh, whose parents and younger sister attended the hearing, was discovered among Taliban prisoners captured in northern Afghanistan last December. He was interviewed on his hospital bed by a journalist for a network news channel and quickly become known as the "American Taliban" after expressing his allegiance to the fundamentalist regime.

Details of his case outraged many Americans who considered him a traitor, though prosecutors had no evidence to charge him with treason.

He was taken into custody by interrogators from the US military and is said to have told them that he had met Osama bin Laden and knew he had dispatched suicide-mission operatives to attack America.

The government hailed the plea as an important victory and said Lindh would cooperate with US intelligence and anti-terrorism investigators.in exchange for his 20-year sentence.

* Osama bin Laden was injured by shrapnel in December but has recovered his health and is planning further attacks on America, according to Abdel Bari Atwan, the editor of London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper, who has previously interviewed the al-Qa'ida leader and remains in contact with some of his associates.