WASHINGTON, 16 October 2004 — A leading American Muslim activist was sentenced to 23 years in prison yesterday for illegal financial dealings with Libya, in a case that revealed an alleged Libyan plot to assassinate the Saudi crown prince. Abdurahman Alamoudi, who was born in Eritrea and obtained US nationality in 1996, pleaded guilty in July to unlicensed travel to and commerce with Libya, making false statements on an immigration form and tax offenses.

Alamoudi, the founder and former executive director of the American Muslim Council and the founder of the American Muslim Foundation, was sentenced to 276 months in jail by District Judge Claude M. Hilton in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.

US Attorney General John Ashcroft welcomed the conclusion of the case against Alamoudi, a resident of Falls Church, Virginia, a Washington suburb.

“The government’s investigations are designed to prevent acts of terrorism by obtaining cooperation and developing intelligence,” Ashcroft said in a statement.

According to court documents, Alamoudi, between November 1995 and September 2003, illegally transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars into the United States from Libya and other sources.

He made at least 10 trips to Libya and met with Libyan government officials, according to the documents.

During a March 13, 2003 meeting, Alamoudi and Libyan government officials allegedly discussed creating “headaches” and disruptions in Saudi Arabia. Alamoudi later learned that the actual objective was the assassination of Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, according to US officials.

According to the officials, Alamoudi participated in recruiting people for the plot and introduced the Libyans to two Saudi dissidents in London and facilitated the transfer of hundreds of thousands of dollars of cash from the Libyans to the dissidents to finance the plot. Alamoudi was not charged in connection with the alleged assassination plot.

The United States and Libya have been mending relations following Tripoli’s agreement to dismantle its unconventional weapons programs.