Jewish Man Who Became Radical Islamist Sentenced To Prison

By Eyder Peralta / NPR

Published April 25, 2014 at 12:10 PM PDT

This story was published more than 10 years ago.

Yousef al-Khattab, a Jewish kid from New Jersey who turned into a radical Islamist, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison on Friday.

As NPR's Dina Temple-Raston reported earlier today, al-Khattab is the founder of a radical Islamist group called Revolution Muslim, "which became a gateway for young jihadists in the U.S. looking to join violent Islamist groups overseas."

Dina continued:

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"Back in October, al-Khattab pleaded guilty to using the RevMuslim website to 'place persons affiliated with Jewish organizations ... in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury.'"

The AP reports the judge in the case said he imposed a modest sentence so people "'understand the line' between free speech and criminal calls for violence."

The AP adds:

"Al-Khattab, 45, renounced his postings during the hearing in federal court in Alexandria, asking district Judge Liam O'Grady to hold him responsible only 'for what I say, not how other people understood it.'"Derisively calling himself a 'clown' and 'the Gilbert Gottfried of the Muslims,' al-Khattab said he did not intend to incite violence but would not make the postings today that he did years ago."'I look back now, and I'm very wrong,' al-Khattab said."