An American convicted of being an al Qaeda operative gets life sentence . The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday upheld the death penalty for a man who was found guilty in federal court last year of providing material support to terrorists. Federal appeals court ruled man 's original 30-year prison sentence was too lenient . In June 2003 , Saudi Arabian authorities detained Abu Ali in Medina , where he was participating in religious studies . Defense argued confessions were false , obtained through torture in Saudi Arabia .
An American convicted of being an al Qaeda operative gets life sentence . The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday upheld the death penalty for a man who was found guilty in federal court last year of providing material support to terrorists. Federal appeals court ruled man 's original 30-year prison sentence was too lenient . Defense argued confessions were false , obtained through torture in Saudi Arabia .