Peninsula Daily News news services
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled against an Algerian who brought explosives into Port Angeles aboard a ferry from Victoria in December 1999.
Ahmed Ressam was convicted of conspiring to detonate explosives at Los Angeles International Airport during the millennium holiday travel rush.
In its 8-1 decision, the court upheld Ressam’s conviction on an explosives charge, one of nine convictions that resulted in a 22-year prison sentence.
In an unusual appearance, Attorney General Michael Mukasey argued the government’s case before the Supreme Court in March.
At issue was whether Ressam should be convicted of carrying explosives during the commission of another serious crime — in Ressam’s case, lying on a U.S. Customs form when he drove into the Port Angeles port of entry off the MV Coho ferry.
