In case you don't want to click the link above:
Quote:
US citizen faces terrorism trial after 3½ years in custody
Jamie Wilson in Washington
Wednesday November 23, 2005
The Guardian
Jose Padilla, a US citizen held without charge for more than three years after being accused of planning to detonate a radioactive "dirty bomb" in a large American city, was yesterday indicted on the lesser charges of conspiring to "murder, kidnap and maim persons" overseas.
The original allegations against Mr Padilla, a Brooklyn-born Muslim convert who until yesterday was being held as an "enemy combatant" at a navy prison in South Carolina, were used by the White House as evidence of the continued threat posed by al-Qaida to the US homeland.
Announcing the charges against Mr Padilla yesterday, the attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, refused to comment on why no allegations involving attacks on America were included. The indictment alleges that Mr Padilla received jihad training in Afghanistan and "operated and participated in a North American support cell that sent money, physical assets and mujahideen recruits to overseas conflicts for the purposes of fighting a violent jihad".
Also indicted were Adham Amin Hassoun; Muhammad Hesham Youssef; Kifah Wael Jayyousi and a Canadian national, Kassem Daher. All were charged with conspiracy to murder, kidnap and maim people in a foreign country; conspiracy to provide material support for terrorists and providing material support for terrorists.
Mr Padilla was arrested in May 2002 after returning from Pakistan. As well as the dirty bomb allegations, he was accused of planning to blow up apartment buildings. Last week he was handed over to the justice department for civilian proceedings and the case will go to trial in September next year.
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The important part of all of this, in my mind, is that he is not even being charged on the 'dirty bomb' allegations. It's as if those allegations were good enough to hold him for over 3 years, but not good enough to even charge him with. This is the problem with the new 'anti-terrorist' measures, bills and acts. This man was heald as a terrorist, but they won't even charge him as such. To me this means that there was so little evidence that he was involved in terrorism that the courts wouldn't waste their time with it.
If someone is suspected of being guilty of a crime, prove it. If you can't prove it beyopnd a reasonable doubt, he is legally innocent. This man is clearly innocent, legally at least, of any terrorist acts, despite being detained for 3 and a half years for it. I cal BS, and I hope someone at the justice department or in the courts calls BS, too.
What ever happened to Manx?