Lodi man sentenced to 24 years for attending terrorist camp in Pakistan

The Sacramento Bee reports:

A California man convicted of attending an al-Qaida camp in Pakistan was sentenced to 24 years in federal prison Monday for supporting terrorists, concluding a case that divided a Central Valley farming community.

U.S. District Court Judge Garland Burrell Jr. imposed the sentence against Hamid Hayat on his 25th birthday, saying he had “attended a terrorist training camp, returned to the United States ready and willing to wage violent jihad when directed to do so.”

Hayat faced up to 39 years in prison after his April 2006 conviction on one count of providing material support to terrorists and three counts of lying about it to FBI agents. Prosecutors said he plotted to attack hospitals, banks, grocery stores and government buildings in California.