Al-Qaida shoe bomber gets life sentence

? Richard Reid, the al-Qaida follower who tried to blow up a trans-Atlantic jetliner with explosives hidden in his shoes, was sentenced to life in prison Thursday by a judge who warned him: “We are not afraid … We are Americans. We have been through the fire before.”

The 29-year-old British citizen cried, “You will be judged by Allah!” before being dragged from the courtroom in handcuffs.

Reid received the maximum sentence after declaring himself a soldier of war and denouncing U.S. foreign policy toward Islamic countries.

“Your government has sponsored the rape and torture of Muslims in the prisons of Egypt and Turkey and Syria and Jordan with their money and with their weapons,” said Reid, who converted to Islam eight years ago.

U.S. District Judge William Young would have none of it.

“We are not afraid of any of your terrorist co-conspirators, Mr. Reid,” the judge said. “We are Americans. We have been through the fire before.

“You are not an enemy combatant — you are a terrorist. You are not a soldier in any war — you are a terrorist. To call you a soldier gives you far too much stature. You are a terrorist and we do not negotiate with terrorists. We hunt them down one by one and bring them to justice.”

The judge then pointed to the American flag behind him and said: “You see that flag, Mr. Reid? That’s the flag of the United States of America. That flag will fly there long after this is long forgotten.”

“That flag will be brought down on the day of judgment,” Reid replied.

Reid had faced 60 years to life for trying to blow up an American Airlines flight bound from Paris to Miami just three months after the Sept. 11 attacks. Prosecutors said Reid had enough plastic explosives in his shoes to blow a hole in the fuselage and kill all 197 people aboard.