{Louisville, Kentucky}...Mohanad Shareef Hammadi, 24, an Iraqi man, pleaded guilty Tuesday to 10 charges of conspiring to send weapons, cash and explosives to al-Qaida in Iraq and two counts of lying to federal immigration agents to get into the United States and stay in the country. Hammadi gave simple "yes" and "I plead guilty" answers to questions from U.S. District Judge Thomas B. Russell in federal court in Louisville. The surprise plea came a week before Hammadi was set to stand trial on August 28th in Bowling Green, where he and co-defendant, 30 year old Waad Ramadan Alwan, were arrested in May 2011 after a federal sting operation. Hammadi, who did not have a plea agreement with prosecutors, faces 25 years to life in federal prison plus millions of dollars in fines when sentenced December 5th. Alwan previously pleaded guilty and is scheduled for sentencing October 3rd in Bowling Green.
