(WASHINGTON D.C., 11/3/2021) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed a decision by the federal court to affirm the 10-year prison sentence of a Tennessee man who planned a terror attack on a Muslim community in upstate New York.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth District rejected an appeal to lower the 10-year sentence of Robert Doggart, an ex-Congressional candidate who was arrested for planning to carry out attacks on a Muslim community in New York in 2015. In the affirmation of his sentence, the court said, “the district court reasonably sentenced Doggart to the statutory maximum,” and that they “had plenty of grounds for imposing this 120-month sentence.”
According to court documents, Doggart admitted to planning an attack on the community of Islamberg in Hancock, N.Y., along with members of a right-wing militia. He was reportedly recorded on a wiretapped phone call planning to burn down a mosque and Muslim school in the community, while shooting anyone who tried to stop the attackers. Doggart was found guilty of solicitation to commit a civil rights violation, solicitation to commit arson of a building and making a threat in interstate commerce. He was initially sentenced to 20 years in prison. His sentence was later reduced to 10 years, after it was determined that the mosque he planned to attack wasn’t involved in interstate commerce.
SEE: Ex-Candidate Convicted of Mosque Attack Plan Has Sentence Upheld
United States v. Robert Doggart, No. 20-6128
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca6/20-6128/20-6128-2021-11-03.html
CAIR Welcomes Guilty Verdict for Tenn. Man Who Planned Attack on NY Muslims
In a statement, CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper said:
“We welcome the court’s decision to uphold Doggart’s sentence. Violent bigots pose an ongoing threat to American Muslims and other minority communities. We hope the sentence will deter other extremists who may consider carrying out acts of violence in furtherance of their hate-filled views.”
Hooper noted that CAIR initially called for terrorism charges against Doggart.
CAIR Says Tenn. Man Who Planned Religiously-Motivated Attack on NY Muslims Should Face Terror Charges
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La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com