"Terrorist Enhancement"

[Theophylact]

Man jailed for linking to bomb sites

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) --A federal judge sentenced a man to a year in prison Monday for creating an anarchist Web site with links to sites on how to build bombs.

U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson sentenced Sherman Austin to more than the prosecutor had recommended under a plea bargain.

Austin, 20, pleaded guilty in February to distributing information related to explosives.

Austin told the judge Monday he "wasn't really thinking" when he created the Web site. "I'd be devastated if someone used this information to harm others," he said.

Protest against police brutality?

Austin admitted posting links about bombs to enable people to build and use them during demonstrations against interstate and foreign trade. He told FBI agents he wanted the Web site to teach people about police brutality.

Austin must also pay a $2,000 fine and is barred for three years from using a computer without approval. Wilson said he also may not associate with anyone from a group that "espouses physical force as a means of change."

Arrested during demonstration

Austin was arrested with other protesters at the World Economic Forum in New York in February 2002 on charges of disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly. While in New York, federal charges were handed down in California.

Austin said he took a plea bargain because he feared his case was eligible for a terrorism enhancement, which could have added 20 years to his sentence. The plea deal had called for him to serve four months.

Did you know that your judge can increase the sentence you agreed to? I did -- but it's pretty rare. Did you know that posting links is a crime? I didn't. Did you know about "terrorist enhancement?" Me neither.

[Bob The Great]

Linking your page to another page about building bombs I think would be fine. Explosives are fun, and its a lot better then fiddling around trying to figure out what goes boom. But after reading the article you posted that guy is seriously messed up. Aiming it at somone is wrong.

I hadn't heard of the "terrorist enhancement" thing before this either. I can't find any links about what Terrorist Enchament is, which leaves me speculating it has to do with helping terrorists.

[cbuddha42]

wait did he plea bargin in NY or LA - on another note if the judge ups the ammount you agreed to then its normally overutrned on appeal..........its not the judges job to prosecute you and a higher court will noramlly reconize that. guess posting link counts as distributing information which can be illegal if its dangerous informationa dn used for illegal purposes