Florida doctor facing terrorism charges to be extradited to New York
FORT PIERCE, Florida (CNN) -- A Florida doctor accused of conspiring to provide material support to al Qaeda will be extradited to New York to be tried along with his co-defendant, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Rafiq Sabir did not fight extradition. A hearing is set for him and his co-defendant, Trik Ibn Osman Shah, later this month.
Sabir was arrested last month at his Boca Raton, Florida, home. He and Shah are charged with conspiring to provide material support to al Qaeda from 2003 through May 2005. Both are being held without bail.
In a one-count complaint filed in New York, federal authorities allege Sabir and Shah, both U.S. citizens, "engaged in multiple meetings and conversations with a confidential source, as well as an FBI special agent who was acting in an undercover capacity and posing as an al Qaeda operative and recruiter."
During those meetings, the complaint said, the two "allegedly agreed to provide training in martial arts and hand-to-hand combat to al Qaeda members and associates, while Sabir allegedly agreed to provide medical assistance to wounded jihadists in Saudi Arabia."
In addition, "in order to express their utmost loyalty to al Qaeda, Shah and Sabir allegedly pledged an oath (referred to as bayat) to al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, thereby leaving them with the impression that they had become members of the organization," the complaint said.
Prosecutors said Sabir was planning to leave last week for Saudi Arabia. The indictment says he had secured a job as a doctor at a Saudi military base, and planned to use that as a way to travel in the country and treat wounded jihadists.
At Sabir's hearing, prosecutors asked that he continue to be held without bail, claiming he is a danger to the community and a flight risk, and telling the judge his actions showed contempt for the United States.
If convicted, both men could face a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.
CNN's John Couwels contributed to this report.
