Haniffa Osman, 57, pleaded guilty to the charges and was also sentenced by US District Judge Catherine Blake to three years' supervision on his release.

She said that of the three men who conspired to help the Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers procure arms through agent T. Varatharasa, Haniffa was the most culpable.

The former cleaning supervisor, who has been in detention since his arrest two years ago on the Pacific island of Guam, is expected to complete his term next year.

Under the rules in the federal prison in Maryland, where he is detained, an inmate gets 55 days' remission for every year of good conduct.

Haniffa could have faced up to 15 years in jail, but his relatively short sentence is due to defence submissions that he was not a professional big-time arms dealer with a lavish lifestyle.

Last year, his lawyer T. Sullivan flew to Singapore to check on his Telok Blangah HDB three-

room flat and family situation to verify his modest background.

The saga that led the father of two to a jail cell in Baltimore started in April 2006, when he conspired with two Indonesian nationals, Haji Subandi, 71, and Erick Wutolo, 60, as well as Varatharasa, 38, a Sri Lankan, to buy state-of-the-art firearms for the Tigers. These included surface-to-air missiles, machine guns, night goggles and ammunition.

The initial deal was worth US$900,000 (S$1.34 million), but Haniffa told investigators that a second deal to follow could top US$15 million.

He told The Straits Times in a past interview from prison that he needed the US$50,000 commission to settle personal debts. Records show that he was made a bankrupt here in October 2006.

In July 2006, Haniffa flew to Baltimore, where he met undercover agents who showed him a number of weapons, ammunition and night-vision devices. He indicated the rendezvous area in the Indian Ocean for the arms delivery, and said if the first shipment cleared, a second deal worth US$15 million could follow.

He test-fired several weapons, including sniper rifles, inquired about the price of unmanned gliders, and discussed the commission he would get.

Haniffa is the last of the gang of four men to be sentenced. Varatharasa, Subandi and Wutolo have already been jailed for between 30 and 57 months.

US senior security official James Ives, who cracked the case, said those who knowingly support terrorists 'fuel global insecurity' and 'are as culpable as those who use illicit weapons and equipment to carry out vicious attacks'.

Haniffa told a close business associate here that he was happy with his sentence.

The 46-year-old, whom Haniffa calls every week from prison, said: 'But he fears the authorities here will probe him further on the case when he returns.'

Haniffa's wife, 51, was also happy about the short jail term.

Her 15-year-old son said: 'My mum is very relieved it is three years and he has only one more year to go. She thought it would be longer, like over 10 years.'

Haniffa's wife of 31 years now lives with their son in their Telok Blangah flat after her 25-year-old daughter got married last year and moved out.

Life has not been easy for her since his arrest. She mans a market stall selling curry powder and spices, and earns barely enough to cover the mortgage and living expenses.

Self-help group Mendaki said it has met the family and offered its help. It is offering to place Haniffa's son under its Education Trust Fund and Mendaki Tuition Scheme. It is also working with the family's community development council to render further assistance.

Haniffa's son said he missed his father, but had no money to go to the US to see him. 'But it's okay, he's coming back already,' he added.