(AP) A federal judge has denied compassionate release from prison for a Phoenix man convicted of making false statements to FBI agents and witness tampering during the investigation of a terror attack six years ago in suburban Dallas.
U.S. District Judge John Tuchi cited the prisoner’s refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine when rejecting a claim in an order issued Monday that Abdul Khabir Wahid’s continued incarceration leaves him vulnerable to the coronavirus.
Wahid argued that his HIV diagnosis and hypertension make him susceptible to severe or fatal consequences were he to contract the virus in prison. He is serving a 5 1/2-year sentence for convictions stemming from his conduct during the investigation of a 2015 attack on a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Garland, Texas. Wahid wasn’t directly involved in the attack, authorities said.
