Dutch mom gets 3 years in US for supporting Somali militants
By MATTHEW BARAKAT
Associated Press
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A Dutch woman has been sentenced to three years in prison for donating several hundred dollars to a group that supported the militant group al-Shabab in Somalia. The sentenced imposed Monday on 38-year-old Farhia Hassan was far less than the 8-year sentence sought by prosecutors. She was convicted earlier this year by a jury at federal court in Alexandria of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. Prosecutors said she was one of about 15 women who gathered in an online chatroom and regularly contributed small amounts of money to support al-Shabab militants in Somalia and Kenya. In all, prosecutors say she donated about $300. Defense attorneys sought a sentence of time served, or about nine months.