Muslim Convert Who Threatened South Park Creators And Tried to Join Terrorists Facing 30 Years
Muslim Convert Who Threatened South Park Creators And Tried to Join Terrorists Facing 30 Years
Published February 24, 2011
A college dropout and Muslim convert who threatened the creators of the "South Park" cartoon series and then tried to join an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group in Somalia is facing a prison term of up to 30 years.
Zachary A. Chesser of Bristow, Va., pleaded guilty last year to supporting the al-Shabab terrorist group in Somalia and posting online threats against the "South Park" creators for an episode he perceived as insulting to the Prophet Muhammad. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Thursday morning in U.S. District Court in Alexandria.
Chesser posted a warning on the website RevolutionMuslim.com last April following the 200th episode of "South Park," which included a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad disguised in a bear suit.
Chesser, who just two years earlier was studying foreign languages at George Mason University, wrote on the site that Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the cartoon's creators, "will probably end up" like Theo van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker who was murdered in 2004 after making a film critical of Islamic society.
"It's not a threat, but it really is a likely outcome," Chesser told FoxNews.com last April. "They're going to be basically on a list in the back of the minds of a large number of Muslims. It's just the reality."
Prosecutors are seeking the maximum sentence of 30 years. Chesser's lawyers are asking for a 20-year term.
Chesser has said he has renounced violence and is sorry for what he did.
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Originally Posted by AntZ
