Iranian-American Gets 25-Year Sentence For Plot To Kill Saudi Envoy

A police mugshot of Manssor Arbabsiar

A U.S. federal judge in New York has sentenced an Iranian-American man to 25 years in prison for his role in an Iranian plot to kill Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States.

Manssor Arbabsiar was sentenced in Manhattan on May 30.

He had pleaded guilty to the charges last year.

Authorities claim Arbabsiar went to Mexico at the direction of Iran’s military in 2011 to arrange the assassination attempt.

The plot never went any further.

Prosecutors had sought the 25-year sentence.

Defense attorneys had argued the 58-year-old Arbabsiar suffers from a mental disorder that clouded his judgment and that his prison sentence should not be longer than 10 years.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP