A Queens man who pleaded guilty in 2004 to helping terrorists and had a connection to the leader of the 2005 bombings of the London transit system has been released from prison after serving a small portion of his sentence, according to federal court documents.

The documents show that the man, Mohammed Junaid Babar, arrested in June 2004 on his way to a taxi-driving school that he had been attending in Long Island City, was sentenced in December to time served.

His release was first reported by The Guardian, the London newspaper.

After his arrest, Mr. Babar, a grandson of Pakistani immigrants who grew up in Queens, began cooperating with the authorities. He admitted in Federal District Court in Manhattan that he had smuggled money, night vision goggles and other military gear to a senior Qaeda leader in Pakistan near the border of Afghanistan. He also admitted buying aluminum powder and trying to buy ammonium nitrate fertilizer, which could be used to make explosives. He also told the authorities that he had set up a training camp for Islamic terrorists. And he admitted that he aided in a plot to blow up pubs, train stations and restaurants in Britain.

Under a deal with the authorities struck after his arrest, Mr. Babar faced 30 years to life in prison and agreed to provide information. He went on to testify in various trials. At a London trial, he testified that he attended a training camp with Mohammad Sidique Khan, the leader of the suicide attacks on the London transit system in 2005. Those bombings killed 56 people, including the four bombers, and wounded hundreds more.

According to the court documents, Mr. Babar will be under supervision for up to 10 years after his release. He could apply to end the supervision after five years.

(Source: NY Times)