American Taliban agrees to sentence

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The plea bargain the government struck with John Walker Lindh will ensure U.S. investigators have unfettered access to the young American who fought with the Taliban as they try to learn more about the inner workings of al-Qaida.\nFor Lindh, the surprise deal holds a personal incentive: Instead of possibly spending the rest of his life in prison, he'll be a free man at the relatively young age of 41.\nIn between, there likely will be debriefings by government agents and possibly even testimony in court proceedings related to America's war on terrorism.\n"Our goal, frankly, was to give him some type of future in the chaos," chief defense attorney James Brosnahan said Monday after his client pleaded guilty to two felonies.\nLindh must serve 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to providing services to Afghanistan's former rulers, the Taliban, and a related explosives charge. In return, the government dropped nine other counts -- including more serious charges of conspiring to kill U.S. nationals -- that would have carried life in prison.\nThe plea bargain contains numerous provisions that ensure Lindh cooperates with the government's war on terrorism. He must submit to questioning by government interrogators and take lie-detector tests when asked, U.S. Attorney Paul McNulty said.\nLindh has agreed to testify as necessary at any future trials, as well as any military tribunals. He also dropped claims of mistreatment while in custody of the U.S. military.\n McNulty said after Monday's hearing that it is unclear if Lindh has much useful information to offer.\n "We have not yet been able to talk to him," he said. "It remains to be seen how much evidence he'll provide."\nBrosnahan said he held out hope that some future president might pardon Lindh or commute his sentence. He portrayed Lindh as a peaceful, devout Muslim who wanted to return to America after learning of the Sept. 11 attacks, "but he couldn't because he feared death."\n"He never shot a gun" during his time with the Taliban, Brosnahan said. "This is not Rambo we're talking about."\nAppearing Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show, Brosnahan said he and his colleagues on Lindh's legal defense team "promised John that as long as we're alive, we're going to see if we can help him. We are impressed with this young man. I wish Americans could know him a little better. He is a good man."\nLindh's father Frank said his son could be a valuable asset to the government, perhaps putting his knowledge and experience of Islam to use to heal divisions between America and certain Muslim factions.\n"He's a good boy," Frank Lindh said. "He can do a lot for America ... Any father who knew John would be proud to claim him as a son."\nIn court on Monday, with his parents, brother and sister seated behind him, John Lindh explained in his own words the crimes he committed.\n"I provided my services as a soldier to the Taliban last year from about August to November. During the course of doing so I carried a rifle and two grenades," he said, adding that he knew such conduct was illegal.\nAn executive order signed by President Clinton in 1999, and continued under President Bush, prohibited American citizens from providing any money or services to the Taliban because of its link to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network.\nMcNulty called the plea "an important victory for the American people in the battle against terrorism."\n"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.\nGail Spann, the mother of the Johnny Micheal Spann, the CIA officer who was shot and killed in the Taliban prison uprising at Mazar-e-Sharif on Nov. 25, after interviewing Lindh, criticized the agreement.\nAsked if it was fair, she replied: "Of course not 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. As Mike's mom, I would like for Mike to have had 20 years to live."\nThe indictment against Lindh cited Spann's death as an overt act in a conspiracy to murder Americans. No references to Spann were contained in the plea deal.\nThe plea agreement also includes provisions guaranteeing that the U.S. government, rather than Lindh, receive profits if Lindh decides to publish his life story.\nBrosnahan, who spoke frequently of the horrific conditions Lindh faced as a Taliban soldier who surrendered to the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, said he did not know if Lindh had any plans to sell his story or write a book.\n"If he does," Brosnahan said, "you'll read it. I guarantee it"