A terror defendant accused of plotting to cut through the cables that support New York’s Brooklyn Bridge was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday by a judge who refused to let him withdraw his guilty plea. Iyman Faris was sentenced to 15 years for aiding and abetting terrorism, plus five years for conspiracy. According to prosecutors, Faris, 34, traveled to Pakistan and Afghanistan, carrying out low level missions for terrorists. He provided sleeping bags, cellular telephones and cash to members of al-Qaida and met with Osama bin Laden in 2000 at a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan, his accusers said. He also was accused of providing the terror group with information about possible U.S. targets. Although he is alleged to have investigated the possibility of using a gas cutter to burn through the Brooklyn Bridge’s suspension cables, Faris ultimately recommended through e-mail messages to his contacts against pursuing that option, which he described as “unlikely to succeed.” Full Story