Sathajhan Sarachandran
A Tamil Canadian computer-science student, Sathajhan Sarachandran, is a member of the Tamil Tigers who pleaded guilty to trying to purchase anti-aircraft missiles for the militant group. He was convicted of supporting terrorism.[1]
American was alleged to have helped Sarachandran concoct the plan, after Sarachandran contacted an FBI informant in Brooklyn, New York, about purchasing weapons for the Tigers. The informant sent him e-mails suggesting he had ten 9K38 Igla missiles and 500 AK-47s for $900,000, and suggested that the pair meet him in a New York warehouse.[1] Two other Canadians, and , accompanied the pair, who traveled claiming they were attending a bachelor party in the state.[1][2]
A student at the University of Windsor,[2] Sarachandran claimed to have been in direct contact with leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and had lately been speaking to intelligence chief Pottu Amman.[1]
On January 26, 2009, he pleaded guilty, and two days later his co-defendants Sahilal Sabaratnam and Thiruthanikan Thanigasalam also pleaded guilty.[3]
In January 2010, Sarachandran was sentenced to 26 years in prison.[4]
References[]
- ^ a b c d The Globe and Mail, Toronto man pleads guilty to aiding Tamil Tigers, January 27, 2009
- ^ a b Toronto Star, GTA man pleads guilty in arms case, January 27, 2008
- ^ Bell, Stewart. National Post, Canadians plead guilty in terror trial, January 28, 2009
- ^ "Home | Ottawa Citizen". Archived from the original on 2010-01-25.
- Canadian people of Sri Lankan Tamil descent
- Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam members
- Living people