California man jailed for violating Syria sanctions

Amin al-Baroudi, 50, a naturalized citizen, bought thousands of dollars of military equipment for rebel group

By AFP 11 June 2016, 5:18 am

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A file picture taken on January 27, 2014 shows an opposition fighter from the Ahrar al-Sham Brigade firing a machine gun from a truck displaying the group's flag during clashes with government forces as he defends the Marjah neighborhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. (AFP/Mahmud al-Halabi/file)

A California man was sentenced to 32 months in prison Friday for conspiring to skirt US sanctions against Syria by sending tactical military equipment to jihadists in the war-torn country.

Amin al-Baroudi, 50, a Syrian-born naturalized US citizen, pleaded guilty in January to purchasing tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of tactical equipment, including night vision rifle scopes, speed loaders and bullet proof vests, destined for Ahrar al-Sham, an insurgent group fighting to overthrow the regime of Bashar Assad.

Ahrar al-Sham frequently fights alongside the Al-Nusra Front, Syria’s Al-Qaeda affiliate that has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, authorities said.

According to court documents, Baroudi and his co-conspirators traveled with the military goods aboard commercial flights to Turkey and then smuggled them into Syria.

Baroudi was accused of making two such trips in February and March 2013.