By Arun Kumar

Washington, June 8 (IANS) A US federal jury has convicted a Pakistani national, the last of the 11 men charged as members of what has come to be known as the "Virginia jihad network", for aiding a terrorist group that is targeting India.

The jury in US District Court in Alexandria Tuesday found Ali Asad Chandia, 29, guilty of three counts of providing material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) or conspiring to do so, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.

Although jurors acquitted him of the fourth count of supporting terrorists, Chandia faces up to 45 years in prison when he is sentenced Aug 18.

Prosecutors said Chandia trained at an LeT camp in Pakistan and helped the group acquire paintballs and other equipment with potential military applications when he returned to the US. The LeT is considered a terrorist group by the US government.

The verdict brings to 11 the number of Muslim men convicted in the investigation of what prosecutors called a network dedicated to preparing for holy war against US troops.

The prosecutors said Chandia is a former personal assistant to Ali al-Timimi, the group's spiritual leader, who is serving a life prison term.

Federal officials have described the case as one of the most important domestic terrorism prosecutions since the Sep 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. They hailed Chandia's conviction and said it underscored the importance of cooperating with foreign law enforcement agencies in the battle against terrorism.

During the two-week trial, prosecutors introduced evidence showing that Chandia had travelled to an LeT office in Lahore, Pakistan, in November 2001 shortly after resigning from his job at a Costco store.

The prosecutors told the jury that Chandia then trained at the LeT camp, though they acknowledged they had no eyewitnesses placing him there. After returning to the US, Chandia was accused of working with other defendants to obtain equipment for LeT.

Chandia, his hands clasped behind him, showed no reaction as the verdict of the nine-woman, three-man jury was read. He then smiled and shook hands with supporters in the courtroom. The Pakistani citizen remains free on a personal recognizance bond.