The United States has obtained more than 400 convictions in international terrorism cases since the attacks of September 11, 2001, documents released by the Department of Justice showed Friday.
The tally comes amid debate in Congress on administration plans to try suspected terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in US courts, which has drawn vehement Republican opposition.
A chart maintained by the National Security Division (NSD) of the Department of Justice since the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington shows that 403 people have been convicted for planning or committing international terrorist attacks.
Life sentences were imposed in 12 of the cases, and 59 of the convictions carried prison terms of more than 10 years, Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich said in a letter sent to lawmakers along with the list.
Defendants on the list were charged with offenses including planning or committing a terrorist act abroad that targeted US citizens, providing material support to a foreign terrorist group, to hostage-taking, fraud or obstruction of justice.
Ongoing investigations of suspected terrorist groups have helped to disrupt a plot to attack the New York subway system with "explosive bombs that could have killed many Americans," and thwarted separate attempts to blow up buildings in Texas and Illinois, Weich said.
"And we arrested individuals in Chicago who assisted in the deadly November 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai and were plotting other attacks," he said.
The list does not include convictions related solely to domestic terrorism.
Copyright 2010 AFP American Edition
