Posted on 03/04/2004 1:14:22 PM PST by kattracks
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- Three American Muslims accused of undergoing paramilitary training in hopes of joining up with the Taliban were convicted Thursday of conspiring to support terrorism.Prosecutors said the three were part of a "Virginia jihad network" that used paintball games in 2000 and 2001 to train for holy war around the globe. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the group allegedly focused efforts on defending the Taliban.
Masoud Khan, 34, of Gaithersburg, Md., was convicted of the most serious charges, including conspiracy to levy war against the United States and conspiracy to contribute services to the Taliban.
Seifullah Chapman, 31, of Alexandria, and Hammad Abdur-Raheem, 35, of Falls Church, were also convicted on conspiracy counts.
The three face sentencing in June.
I'm glad you mentioned he was black; otherwise we may never have found out.
Question: what do you call a white Gulf I war veteran jihadist?
I'm with you on that one my friend.
And the U.S.-based muslim terrorist fronts don't CAIR to say anything.
! ! ! Attention President Bush ! ! !
This is how it's done under the Constitution - not by holding a US citizen incommunicado for over a year.
The system works! But, it can't work until you get out of the way and let it.
ROLFLOL if it wasn't so true.
President Lincoln suspended habeas corpus in 1861. Are you sure Lincoln wasn't the worst GOP President? Admit it you're a DU infiltrator...heavy accent on the traitor.
SNIP
Most of the men were charged with participating in a conspiracy that involved their support for Lashkar-i-Taiba, a militant group fighting to drive India from the disputed region of Kashmir. Defense attorneys said they would consider filing appeals after studying Brinkema's 75-page decision.
Defense attorneys waived the right to a jury trial so that Brinkema could decide the case. They argued that a Northern Virginia jury could not fairly evaluate Muslims accused of terrorism-related crimes.
The lawyers had presented their clients as harmless young men who played paintball for fun and were targeted because of their Muslim faith.
Because the three defendants also were convicted of weapons charges, they face the likelihood of lengthy prison terms when they are sentenced in June.
Bernard Grimm, Khan's attorney, protested that his client faces a sentence "in excess of 100 years, and he's never gotten a parking ticket." Khan faces the stiffest sentence of those found guilty so far. He is the only member of the group convicted of conspiracy to wage war against the United States and to assist Afghanistan's former Taliban rulers.
Another defendant, Seifullah Chapman, 31, of Alexandria, faces a sentence of up to 60 years, said his attorney, John Zwerling. Chapman was convicted of conspiring to support Lashkar-i-Taiba and of using arms in connection with a crime of violence.
The third man convicted yesterday, Hammad Abdur-Raheem, 35, of Falls Church, was found guilty of charges involving weapons and support for Lashkar-i-Taiba. Unlike the other two, he did not attend a training camp for the anti-India group in Pakistan, but he was accused of helping train his friends at home. His attorney, William Cummings, said he had not calculated Abdur-Raheem's possible sentence.
In brief comments from the bench, Brinkema said she did not believe Chapman and Abdur-Raheem when they testified that they were unaware of Lashkar-i-Taiba's violent acts and anti-American nature. Their testimony amounted to "deliberate ignorance" of what was going on with the armed group, Brinkema said. Khan did not take the stand in the case.
End of excerpt. We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.
Ah, so it seems I owe AP reporters an appology for calling them imbeciles when instead they were just too lazy to report the circumstances of the trial.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.