Sri Lanka: US court sentences Tamil Tiger to five years for attempted exportation of arms and munitions.

The Baltimore Sun reports, Thirunavukarasu Varatharasa, a member of the Tamil Tigers, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government, has been sentenced to almost five years in prison by a U.S. District Court in Baltimore. He was convicted of conspiracy to provide support to a foreign terrorist organization and the attempted exportation of arms and munitions.

Varatharasa was arrested in Guam after inspecting the military hardware during a clandestine meeting with undercover American agents from Maryland. Varatharasa is one of six suspected South Asian arms dealers who have pleaded guilty to trying to ship restricted, high-tech weapons to rebels in Sri Lanka in 2006. The weapons include firearms and ammunition, surface-to-air missiles, night-vision goggles and other military weapons and gear.