NEW YORK, March 16: A Muslim man who pleaded guilty in a plot to attack New York City synagogues was sentenced on Friday to 10 years in prison, while his lawyers argued in vain that he was manipulated by an undercover detective and he never intended to bomb the houses of worship.

The man, Ahmed Ferhani, 28, pleaded guilty in December to rare state-level terrorism charges in order to avoid the possibility of decades in prison, according to Associated Press.

The lawyers argued, although Ferhani bought arms and ammunition, he never intended to use them to blow up temples, although he used inflammatory language against the Jewish community.

They said that Ferhani wanted to make money.

At his sentencing hearing in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, Ferhani, who lives in Queens, apologised to his parents, who he said had raised him to be respectful of people, regardless of their race, religion or sexual orientation.

“They were humiliated, attacked and harassed on a daily basis over the last two years,” said Mr Ferhani, who moved to the United States as a child to escape Algeria’s civil war.

“I was raised by parents who taught me to put others before myself.”

He promised to make something of his life after he is released.

“I will use this time to strengthen my mind and character,” he said.

Ferhani is almost certain to be deported to Algeria after his release from jail. His citizenship applications over the years had been denied because of a criminal history and mental health problems that included repeated hospitalisations for psychiatric disorders.

The case attracted attention from some civil rights advocates because of the police tactics.