Liberian rebel commander guilty of immigration fraud

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A Liberian accused of war crimes has been convicted of lying about his past as a rebel commander so he could enter the U.S.

Fifty-one-year-old Mohammed Jabbateh was found guilty in a federal court in Philadelphia on Wednesday of immigration fraud and perjury for deceiving U.S. officials about his role during the Liberian civil war in the 1990s.

His trial involved testimony from several witnesses who said he or his soldiers killed civilians, raped women and engaged in cannibalism. He was known during the war as Jungle Jabbah.

Jabbateh has maintained his innocence. His attorney says that prosecutors were "hoodwinked" by the witnesses' "tall tales."

He has been living in the U.S. for about two decades and was arrested last year outside Philadelphia.