'American Taliban' Pleads Guilty

July 15, 2002 -- 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."

Attorney General John Ashcroft praised the plea deal. "He [Lindh] will now spend the next 20 years in prison — nearly as long as he has been alive," Ashcroft said.

Outside the court, Brosnahan told reporters that Lindh told the judge he fought for the Taliban because of his religious beliefs, not because he sympathized with indicted terrorist Osama bin Laden.

"He forthrightly this morning described what he did to the judge. He was a soldier in the Taliban," Brosnahan said. "He did it for religious reasons. He did it as a Muslim. … His thoughts about 9/11 is that, number one, it's forbidden by the Koran. Number two: Osama bin laden is not an appropriate religious figure of any kind."

Approved by the President

A Justice Department official told ABCNEWS that Lindh's defense team reached out to prosecutors several weeks ago to discuss a possible deal. Last week, the details of the agreement were sketched out, with the White House briefed Wednesday and President Bush consulted Thursday. Bush, the source said, approved the deal and believed Lindh's sentence was strong.

Several factors, sources said, influenced the plea agreement: Federal prosecutors had won all the pretrial legal battles and Lindh's attorneys believed they would win the battles over his alleged statements; Lindh agreed to drop allegations that he was abused while in U.S. custody; and he agreed to cooperate with U.S. officials and provide possibly vital information in the U.S. war on terrorism. Sources said prosecutors were also concerned that a jury would be reluctant to find a 21-year-old guilty of charges that would put him in prison for the rest of his life.

Lindh appeared very happy in the courtroom, greeting his attorneys warmly and glancing at his parents and sister sitting in the front benches behind him. After the deal was announced, Lindh rose in his green prison jumpsuit to face the judge, who asked him whether he wished to waive his right to trial.

"Yes, sir," Lindh responded.

Ellis then declared, "The court finds John Lindh fully capable and competent."

After asking Lindh if he understood his plea deal, Lindh said: "I plead guilty. I plead guilty, sir. … I provided my services as a soldier to the Taliban last year from about August to November. During the course of doing so Icarried a rifle and two grenades."

Failed Pretrial Arguments

Before the plea, Lindh's attorneys argued that he was denied medical treatment, was abused and made his alleged statements to U.S. investigators while under duress while held in Afghanistan. They also argued that Lindh made his statements while being denied access to legal counsel. U.S. officials said Lindh denied the charges of abuse and said Lindh waived his right to an attorney.

Lindh was captured by U.S. authorities and Northern Alliance allies in Afghanistan and was questioned by CIA operative Johnny "Mike" Spann at a prison in Mazar-e-Sharif before an uprising there on Nov. 25 in which Spann was killed.

Gail Spann, the CIA officer's mother, said she believed Lindh could have helped save her son's life and said the plea deal was not fair to her family nor her son's widow.

"Of course [the agreement is not fair] to Mike's family. I'm sure it is to John Walker's family, but we don't think it is to us, of course," she said. "As Mike's mom, I would like for Mike to have had 20 years to live."

Lindh was recaptured after the prison uprising was put down, and was held and questioned in Afghanistan for more than 40 days before being brought back to the United States on Jan. 23. His trial was to start in late August.

ABCNEWS' Jackie Judd, Pierre Thomas and Katy Textor and ABCNEWS Radio contributed to this report.