Egyptian to plead guilty over U.S. embassy bombings

By Reuters | Sep 19, 2014 11:54 AM EDT

An Egyptian man said on Friday he would plead guilty in New York to charges connected with the deadly 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Adel Abdul Bary, 54, said in court he would plead guilty to conspiracy to make a threat to use an explosive device, making a threat to use an explosive device, and conspiracy to murder Americans.

His guilty plea comes two months before he was set to face trial in federal court alongside two co-defendants, Libyan Anas al-Liby and Saudi Khalid al-Fawwaz.

Following the bombings, which killed 224 people, Bary and Fawwaz helped disseminate statements of responsibility for the group, according to an earlier criminal indictment.

Bary faces a maximum sentence of up to 25 years in prison, though a U.S. prosecutor said he may receive credit for time he previously served while being held in the United Kingdom.

He was extradited to the United States in 2012 following a protracted legal battle in Britain alongside several other militants, including the fiery London preacher Abu Hamza al-Masri, who was convicted at trial earlier this year of terrorism-related counts.

Suleiman Abu Ghaith, a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden, was also convicted of terrorism-related charges at trial in March. U.S. prosecutors are seeking a term of life in prison when he is sentenced Tuesday.

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