Alleged al-Qaida finance chief protests treatment; trial date set

News Radio 88 ^ | 1/27/02

[areafiftyone]

The lawyer of an alleged top al-Qaida chief says his clients trial should be moved because so many New Yorkers say they were affected by the September 11th terrorist attacks, after his client protested the pain of his manacled wrists in court.

U.S. District Judge Deborah Batts directed lawyers to submit written arguments about where the prison-stabbing trial should be held and other issues even as she set an April 10th trial date for Mamdouh Mahmud Salim (Mom-Doo-Mach-Mood-Sah-leem). Salim faces trial in the stabbing of a prison guard in the face while awaiting trial on an attempt to bomb two U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998. Salim, seeming deeply distressed as he sat shackled and manacled during a 20-minute proceeding, had entered court wringing his hands. He immediately complained to his lawyer about his condition. U.S. marshals took him out of court briefly and loosened the manacles around his wrists but he continued to complain and rested his head on the defense table during the hearing.

Outside court later, Salim's lawyer said he based his request to change the trial's venue in part on the findings of an expert who found that 60 percent of New Yorkers say they were personally affected by terrorism.

[areafiftyone]

As one of the 60 percent of New Yorkers I say we let the poor prisoner (sarcasm) loose from his manacles in ground zero and let the firefighters hang him by his cahunas from the nearest crane.

[Dialup Llama]

I've got an idea. Move it to DC. I hope Mahmood appreciates irony.

[piasa]

I see the old boy has been reading the nutty rantings of the British left and was hoping to draw attention for himself over his 'tight' handcuffs.

I say let's drop the handcuffs and replace them with wire or those plastic jobs that tighten down if you move too much.

[piasa]

"Mamdouh Mahmud Salim" also goes by the name "Abu Hajer al Iraqi," and also by "Abu Hajer."