A suspect in the 1998 bombings at U.S. embassies in Africa has pleaded guilty to lesser charges in federal court in New York.

Adel Abdul Bary was charged in the bombings that killed 224 people in Kenya and Tanzania.

The 54-year-old pleaded guilty Friday to lesser charges of making threats against Americans, but Judge Lewis Kaplan said he wanted to hear further arguments before the more serious charges could be dropped.

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Bary faced a sentence of life in prison under the original indictment. If the plea deal is accepted he would be sentenced to a maximum of 25 years.

Bary's trial was set for November. He was held in custody in Britain for 14 yearsbefore his extradition to the United States in October, 2012.