Life in Prison: Terrorist Gets Max Sentence for Attempted Times Square Bombing

A Manhattan judge sentenced Muslim extremist Faisal Shahzad to life in prison Tuesday for his botched attempt to detonate a car bomb in New York's Times Square earlier this year.  In response, the 31-year-old Pakistani-American warned America, "brace yourself, the war with Muslims has just begun."

U.S. District Judge Miriam Cedarbaum sentenced Shahzad to the mandatory sentence of life in prison after noting how the defendant failed to show any sign of remorse for his action.  "The defeat of the U.S. is imminent, inshallah (God willing)," Shahzad reportedly said during sentencing.

According to reports from the 14th-floor Manhattan courtroom, Shahzad implored witnesses in the courtroom to embrace Islam and claimed Muslims were defending their people and their lands.  If that makes them terrorists, he said, "then we will terrorize you."

When Judge Cedarbaum reminded Shahzad he had sworn to defend Americans when he became a naturalized citizen, he defiantly replied, "I swore, but I didn't mean it."

In a statement from the White House, spokesman Nick Shapiro said the administration was "pleased" with the news of Shahzad's sentence.  "His trial served no propaganda purpose for al Qaeda, and only underscored the strength of our justice system. The case shows once again how our values and the rule of law can keep us safe against those determined to do us harm on behalf of terrorist organizations overseas."