I seem to recall something like that happening in Italy or Spain but I don't recall details. I tend to doubt that his buddies care much either. It was just a thought.
I don't have any strong feeling about the sentence as long as it keeps him from continuing his preoccupation of trying to make US citizens go away in a flash. Prison works, as does execution. I don't think there is any practical deterrence for fanatic whackjobs so that really isn't an issue.