Alaska man accused of hit list of enemies of Islam gets 8 years in prison on terror charges

Alaska man gets 8 years in prison for hit list

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A man from a remote Alaska community who was accused of compiling a hit list of targets he believed were enemies of Islam was sentenced Monday to eight years in prison.

Paul Rockwood Jr., along with his wife, Nadia, faced counts of lying to FBI agents when questioned about the list of 20 targets in May. They pleaded guilty to domestic terrorism charges last month, the first time such charges were brought in Alaska under the Patriot Act.

It was enacted after the Sept. 11 terrorism attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

The length of Rockwood’s sentence was the maximum penalty for the crime. His 36-year-old wife, who holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and United Kingdom, was sentenced to five years probation.

She will be allowed to return to her native country and take care of the couple’s 4-year-old child.

Authorities said Paul Rockwood, 35, of King Salmon, converted to Islam about a decade ago and followed the teachings of a cleric who supports acts of terrorism and espouses hatred for the United States. The hit list included members of the military and media.

According to authorities, Rockwood’s plan had progressed to research into making mail bombs and executing people by shooting them in the head.

Rockwood worked for the National Weather Service in King Salmon.

(This version CORRECTS Changes headline; Corrects grammar.)