Edmonton man sentenced to 26 years in U.S. for role in suicide attack

An Edmonton man has been sentenced to 26 years in U.S. prison for supporting a group of jihadists who committed a 2009 suicide attack that killed five American soldiers in Iraq.

Faruq Khalil Muhammad 'Isa played a limited role in the conspiracy and did not deserve the life term called for under federal sentencing guidelines,U.S. District Judge Roslynn Mauskopf said Tuesday.

The sentence was spelled out in a plea agreement that remains under seal in federal court in Brooklyn.

Several of the soldiers' relatives urged the judge to impose a life sentence.

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But Mauskopf said 'Isa played a limited role compared to other co-conspirators and wasn't involved in planning the actual attack.

'Isa, who also goes by the name Sayfildin Tahir Sharif, pleaded guilty to sending the attackers money and providing them logistical support.

Born in Iraq, 'Isa was arrested in 2011 on a U.S. warrant after an investigation by authorities in New York, Canada and Tunisia.

'Isa moved to Toronto as a refugee in 1993 and became a Canadian citizen in 1997. When he was arrested, he was living in an Edmonton apartment with his girlfriend and her children.

He was held in Edmontonuntil he lost an extradition fight in 2015.