Seven Years For Aussie Terrorist

David Hicks has agreed to a prison sentence of seven years for his role in aiding terrorists in Afghanistan.

The tribunal judge accepted Hicks' guilty plea as part of an agreement that limits his sentence to seven years in prison, in addition to the five years he has been held at Guantanamo in Cuba. But the deal allows for at least part of that sentence to be suspended.

The 31-year-old former kangaroo skinner from Adelaide is the first person to be convicted in revised military tribunals created by the U.S. Congress after the Supreme Court struck down an earlier version that President George W. Bush authorized to try foreign captives on terrorism charges.

Hicks acknowledged that he trained with al Qaeda, fought with its forces against U.S. allies in Afghanistan in late 2001 for two hours, and then sold his gun to raise cab fare and tried to flee to Pakistan.

He denied having any advance knowledge of the September 11 attacks, which he watched on television from a friend's home in Pakistan.

Hicks was captured in Afghanistan in December 2001 and was among the first group of prisoners brought to Guantanamo as ''enemy combatants'' a month later. He had previously claimed he was abused by the U.S. military but said in his plea agreement that he has ``never been illegally treated while in U.S. custody.''

One has to wonder what Hicks will do when he's finally released from prison. Somehow, I doubt he'll become a productive member of society and will instead pick up where he left off in Afghanistan. I'd like to be wrong about that, but sadly all too many of the jihadis picked up around the world and later released return to their business of jihad when given the opportunity.