Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Amina Farah Ali, left, was found guilty of supporting a known foreign terrorist group. She had refused to stand in court and told the judge it was against her religious beliefs Photo: Jerry Holt, Star Tribune
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal judge in Minnesota has reinstated the contempt charges for a Somali woman who refused to stand for the court during the first two days of her trial on terror charges.
Amina Farah Ali was convicted last year of funneling money to the terror group al-Shabab in Somalia.
During the first two days of her trial, she refused to stand 20 times. Chief U.S. District Judge Michael Davis found her in contempt each time and sentenced her to a total of 100 days. But a federal appeals court vacated 19 contempt charges and sent the issue back to Davis to reconsider.
Davis ruled Tuesday that Ali was in contempt, but purged her 100-day sentence.
She's currently in a halfway house awaiting sentencing on 13 terror-related counts.