Texas man sentence to 20 years for threats to aid terrorism Thu May 24, 2012 2:17pm EDT (Reuters) - A Muslim convert from Texas who once e-mailed a radical Muslim cleric saying he wanted "to do my part for jihad" was sentenced on Thursday to 20 years in prison on terrorism and identity theft charges. Barry Walter Bujol Jr., 30, was sentenced to 15 years on the terrorism charge and an additional five years for aggravated identity theft. Both of the sentences imposed by U.S. District Judge David Hittner are the strongest allowed and they are to be served consecutively. The former resident of the small east Texas town of Hempstead was convicted in a trial in which he acted as his own attorney. Prosecutors said he asked radical Islamic cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki for advice on how to raise money for the mujahedeen, and repeatedly pledged his commitment to "violent jihad." FBI agents, who were tipped off about Bujol's efforts, set up an undercover source to pose as Bujol's intermediary with Al-Awlaki. The source testified that Bujol repeatedly replied "God willing" in Arabic when he asked Bujol whether he wanted to fight the United States. Bujol said he wanted to "attack the human beings essential to operating military unmanned aerial vehicles," and suggested multiple targets for attack, including one in Texas, the source said. A rocket fired from an unmanned aerial vehicle killed Al-Awlaki in Yemen last September, according to the U.S. government. Bujol was arrested in May of 2010 after he used false identification to enter the Port of Houston and board a cargo ship which he believed was bound for Algeria. He eventually wanted to get to Yemen, prosecutors said. In his possession were GPS system receivers, SIM cards, restricted military manuals, and cash which authorities said he intended to deliver to a militant group. The FBI said it was his fourth attempt to depart the United States for the Middle East; the other three were "thwarted by law enforcement." When the FBI searched Bujol's home they found a message from Bujol to his wife explaining that he had left her suddenly and without warning to pursue "jihad" and telling her that "he would likely not see her until the afterlife." "We do not take matters of potential national security lightly," U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson said following the sentencing. This case and its successful resolution represents our commitment to making our communities a safer place to live. Bujol said during his trial that he wanted to leave the United States to become "a better Muslim," and because he was dissatisfied with U.S. foreign policy. He denied wanting to join militant group.