KABUL: (MEP) – A US citizen was sentenced to 25 years in jail after he was found guilty of conspiring to sell missiles, rifles and other weapons to the Taliban group in Afghanistan.
A statement released by attorney office for Manhattan said Alwar Pouryan and a co-defendant were found guilty during a two-week bench trila by US District Judige Naomi Reice Buchwald, Khaama reported.
Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara quoted in the statement carried by CNN said, “Alwar Pouryan was an American who was all too willing to do business with the Taliban — agreeing to provide that narco-terrorist organization with lethal, military-grade weapons that would have put countless innocent lives at risk.”
The Attorney further added, “The sentence handed down today is a just and appropriate penalty for an individual who so callously sold out his country.”
The 38-year-old Pouryan and his co-conspirator Oded Orbach were accused of holding talks with a Taliban group representative in fall 2010.
Bahara’s office in the statement also added that Pouryan and Orbach provided detils regarding the types and specifications of the weapons to Taliban group during their conversations through phone, email, skype and in person meeting.
The statement also added that the two individuals were provided details of the weapons, including anti-tank missiles, grenade launchers and M-16 assault rifles from Ghana, Ukraine and Romania.
The federal prosecutor office also said that Taliban group requested surface-to-air missiles from the two individuals in order to protect Taliban-run heron facilities in Afghanistan from US attacks.
The two individuals would earn $800,000 from a $25 million deal which was agreed by the two sides, and at least five others involved in the conspiracy were arrested in Liberia.
