'American Taliban' Pleads Guilty

July 15 -- In a surprise deal with federal prosecutors, John Walker Lindh, the American captured in Afghanistan fighting alongside the Taliban, pleaded guilty today in an agreement that spares him life in prison.

The deal was announced at the beginning of what was to be a weeklong series of hearings to determine if statements Lindh allegedly made to investigators and a journalist while held in Afghanistan were going to be admissible in his upcoming trial. As the hearing began this morning, defense lawyer James Brosnahan surprised the Alexandria, Va., court and U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III with the announcement, "There is a change of plea."

Initially, Lindh, 21, was charged with conspiring to kill U.S. soldiers, providing support to terrorist organizations such as al Qaeda, supplying services to the Taliban and possessing weapons of violent crime. If convicted, he could have faced multiple life terms in prison.

Under the plea deal, prosecutors dropped the most serious charges of terrorism, and Lindh agreed to plead guilty to one charge of supplying services to the Taliban and another charge of carrying explosives in the commission of a felony — which was not included in the original indictment. He will serve two consecutive 10-year prison sentences and provide U.S. authorities with any information in their investigation of al Qaeda and perhaps other terrorist groups. Lindh will be formally sentenced Oct. 4.

A Victory in the War on Terrorism

U.S. Attorney Paul J. McNulty, chief prosecutor in the case, called the pleading an important victory in the battle against terrorism.

"This is a tough sentence. This is an appropriate punishment and this case proves that the criminal justice system can be an effective tool in the fight against terrorism," McNulty said.

McNulty added that the deal will enable the U.S. government to "use our limited and very vital resources, not only to continue to prosecute terrorists but to pursue the military campaign."