Did he think he was only following orders?

The New York Times wails over a terrorist helper:

Convicted of Aiding Terrorist, Translator Prepares for Prison Cell, Still in Disbelief

Mohamed Yousry, an Arabic-language translator, has been practicing for life in a prison cell. He closes himself into small spaces to meditate and combs through his library for nonpolitical books he supposes his keepers will allow him to read.

But he still cannot quite believe that prison is where he is going.

After working for nearly a decade as a translator for Lynne F. Stewart, a New York defense lawyer, Mr. Yousry, 49, was convicted along with her on Feb. 10 in Manhattan federal court of providing material aid to terrorism and conspiring to deceive the government. Now free on bail and awaiting sentencing, which is set for Sept. 30, he faces as much as 20 years behind bars.

Although months have passed since the verdict, Mr. Yousry remains shocked and baffled by it. Throughout the grueling nine-month trial, Mr. Yousry and his lawyers were convinced that he had a strong chance of acquittal.

I hadn't heard of his conviction before. Essentially his defense came down to, "I was only translating. I did nothing on my own."

I'm reminded of that "A Few Good Men" line: "An argument that didn't work for the Nazis at Nuremberg!" Oh, but he did help the "sheik" in that he actively assisted the criminal transmission of information. As a translator, he didn't just have a courier's responsibilities. By enabling Lynne Stewart and her "Sheik" Rahman to understand each other, Yousry became a willing, cognizant accomplice. I hope he rots along with them.