Man jailed for bomb sites

2003-08-05 22:58

Los Angeles, California - A federal judge sentenced a man to a year in prison on Monday for creating an anarchist website with links to sites on how to build bombs, CNN reports.

US District Judge Stephen Wilson sentenced Sherman Austin to more than the prosecutor had recommended under a plea bargain.

Austin, 20, pleaded guilty in February to distributing information related to explosives.

Austin told the judge on Monday he "wasn't really thinking" when he created the website. "I'd be devastated if someone used this information to harm others," he said.

Protest against police brutality?

Austin admitted posting links about bombs to enable people to build and use them during demonstrations against interstate and foreign trade. He told FBI agents he wanted the Web site to teach people about police brutality.

Austin must also pay a $2,000 fine and is barred for three years from using a computer without approval. Wilson said he also may not associate with anyone from a group that "espouses physical force as a means of change."

Arrested during demonstration

Austin was arrested with other protesters at the World Economic Forum in New York in February 2002 on charges of disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly. While in New York, federal charges were handed down in California.

Austin said he took a plea bargain because he feared his case was eligible for a terrorism enhancement, which could have added 20 years to his sentence. The plea deal had called for him to serve four months.

- News24