By Brendan Pierson
NEW YORK, March 6 (Reuters) - An Iraqi-Canadian man onTuesday pleaded guilty to a U.S. charge that he helped orchestrate the April 2009 truck bombing of a U.S. base in Mosul, Iraq, that killed five soldiers.
Faruq Khalil Muhammad 'Isa, 50, pleaded guilty to one countof conspiring to murder Americans. The charge carries a maximumsentence of life in prison, but prosecutors have agreed to asentence of 26 years, under a plea deal described by U.S.District Judge Roslynn Mauskopf in Brooklyn.
Mauskopf did not decide Tuesday whether to accept thatagreement. She said that if she decides not to accept it, 'Isawill be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Baldwin said in court that theprosecutors had consulted with the families of the victims ofthe attack, and that some supported the deal while others didnot.
"While no amount of jail time can make up for the loss of afamily member, the government believes that the agreed-uponsentence provides a fair and just resolution to the very seriouscharges brought against the defendant," Baldwin said.
"We are mindful of how difficult this case is for so many,but think that the proposed plea agreement would be anappropriate resolution of the case," Mildred Whalen, a lawyerfor Isa, said in an email after the hearing.
'Isa, who was born in Iraq and is an Iraqi and Canadiancitizen, was arrested in Edmonton, Alberta, in 2011. He is alsoknown as Sayfildin Tahir Sharif.
Prosecutors have said that, while living in Canada, 'Isaconspired with a group of militants that carried out a suicidetruck bombing on April 10, 2009, at the United States' ForwardOperating Base Marez in Mosul.
In addition to the conspiracy charge, the indictment charged'Isa with murdering each of the five victims and with supportingterrorists. Prosecutors said at a February 2015 court hearingthat 'Isa was working with Islamic state, according to courtrecords.
'Isa did not plead guilty to the murder charges or theterrorism charge.