Shoe bomb suspect Richard C. Reid in December 2001.
BOSTON, Jan. 30 — Richard Reid, a British citizen and follower of Osama bin Laden, was sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars on Thursday for trying to bring down a trans-Atlantic flight with plastic explosives packed into his athletic shoes.
U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE William Young imposed the maximum sentence after rejecting a defense motion seeking a postponement of sentencing on seven of the eight charges until Reid was given access to classified information that his attorneys say could help him.
Reid, 29, claimed he tried to blow up the American Airlines flight bound from Paris to Miami out of love for Islam, the religion he credits with saving him from a listless life of drug abuse and poverty.
Before imposing the sentence, the judge heard from crew members aboard the flight who urged the judge to harshly punish Reid.
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