Obviously things did not go well last Friday for Ahmed Mohamed, the former USF student who pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists. In effect, he could never overcome that YouTube video he made that showed how to target “infidels” via a remote-controlled toy car.
All he could do at his sentencing was throw himself on the mercy of the court and hope that U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday would not throw the maximum sentence – 15 years – at him. His last shot was his statement, which was read by his attorney. It did not move Merryday; Mohamed got the maximum.
More surprising than the sentence was Mohamed’s statement. With plenty of time to prepare a self-serving plea, if not rationale, and plenty of motivation to try and move Merryday to a less-than-maximum sentence, Mohamed came up short.
“I do apologize because I never intended to harm anybody in particular,” he said in the statement…“I am convinced that I have learned a lesson. …I am no more than a college guy.”
In effect, Mohamed said: “I only intended to kill indiscriminately. No one in particular. Such is the way with remote weaponry…But I learned my lesson. That’s the last time I post anything on YouTube. Go Bulls.”
Next case.