Brother_Mujahid
6th June 2008, 04:05 PM
Defense says Ohio terror suspect not part of plot
By JOHN SEEWER
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A man accused of plotting attacks on U.S. soldiers in Iraq hated the war and cheered the deaths of American soldiers, but he isn't a terrorist, his attorney said Thursday in federal court.
Mohammad Amawi's admiration of suicide bombers and his talk about going to Iraq were a part of his imagination, attorney Edward Bryan said during closing arguments of a trial that began in early April.
"He doesn't have the courage to be like them," Bryan said. "It's fantasy. It's stuff going on in people's minds, but not what they're really going to do."
Amawi and two others of Middle Eastern descent — Marwan El-Hindi and Wassim Mazloum — have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to kill or maim people outside the United States. They face a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.
Prosecutors finished their closing arguments earlier Thursday by showing jurors photos of Amawi posing as a martyr, including one of him in a coffin with his eyes closed.
Justice Department attorney Gregg Sofer said federal agents arrested Amawi soon after that because they were worried that he was about to go overseas and kill himself and others.
The three men had been actively planning to recruit and train terrorists while also learning to shoot guns and make bombs, Sofer said. It should not matter that they did not carry out any attacks, he said.
"This was not a flash-in-the-pan conspiracy. It went on for many months," Sofer said. "It's impossible for us to speculate what would have happened."
Defense attorneys have asserted that the three defendants, who all lived in the Toledo area, were manipulated by an informant who initiated discussions about weapons training and bomb-making so that he could stay on the government payroll.
Attorneys for El-Hindi and Mazloum are scheduled to give their closing arguments Tuesday.
Amawi's attorney said his client only wanted to learn how to defend himself because he was consumed by the fear that he and his family could be attacked just like other Muslims who live in the Middle East.
"This is not a plan to go out and murder American soldiers," Bryan said. "This is defensive Islam. Do they not have the right to defend themselves?"
Amawi also made up stories about his interest in a holy war so that the informant would continue to give him money for rent and other expenses. The informant also gave Amawi other gifts, including a cell phone and a laptop.
"He had a financial incentive to say the things he did," Bryan said.
Jurors shouldn't be influenced by Amawi's extremist views even if they find them disgusting, Bryan said.
All three defendants are U.S. citizens except Mazloum, who came to the U.S. legally from Lebanon. El-Hindi was born in Jordan. Amawi was born in the U.S. but also has Jordanian citizenship.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hTqxcV7hIdQ2seWB-GGJaNCm5jLQD91466781
By JOHN SEEWER
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A man accused of plotting attacks on U.S. soldiers in Iraq hated the war and cheered the deaths of American soldiers, but he isn't a terrorist, his attorney said Thursday in federal court.
Mohammad Amawi's admiration of suicide bombers and his talk about going to Iraq were a part of his imagination, attorney Edward Bryan said during closing arguments of a trial that began in early April.
"He doesn't have the courage to be like them," Bryan said. "It's fantasy. It's stuff going on in people's minds, but not what they're really going to do."
Amawi and two others of Middle Eastern descent — Marwan El-Hindi and Wassim Mazloum — have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to kill or maim people outside the United States. They face a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.
Prosecutors finished their closing arguments earlier Thursday by showing jurors photos of Amawi posing as a martyr, including one of him in a coffin with his eyes closed.
Justice Department attorney Gregg Sofer said federal agents arrested Amawi soon after that because they were worried that he was about to go overseas and kill himself and others.
The three men had been actively planning to recruit and train terrorists while also learning to shoot guns and make bombs, Sofer said. It should not matter that they did not carry out any attacks, he said.
"This was not a flash-in-the-pan conspiracy. It went on for many months," Sofer said. "It's impossible for us to speculate what would have happened."
Defense attorneys have asserted that the three defendants, who all lived in the Toledo area, were manipulated by an informant who initiated discussions about weapons training and bomb-making so that he could stay on the government payroll.
Attorneys for El-Hindi and Mazloum are scheduled to give their closing arguments Tuesday.
Amawi's attorney said his client only wanted to learn how to defend himself because he was consumed by the fear that he and his family could be attacked just like other Muslims who live in the Middle East.
"This is not a plan to go out and murder American soldiers," Bryan said. "This is defensive Islam. Do they not have the right to defend themselves?"
Amawi also made up stories about his interest in a holy war so that the informant would continue to give him money for rent and other expenses. The informant also gave Amawi other gifts, including a cell phone and a laptop.
"He had a financial incentive to say the things he did," Bryan said.
Jurors shouldn't be influenced by Amawi's extremist views even if they find them disgusting, Bryan said.
All three defendants are U.S. citizens except Mazloum, who came to the U.S. legally from Lebanon. El-Hindi was born in Jordan. Amawi was born in the U.S. but also has Jordanian citizenship.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hTqxcV7hIdQ2seWB-GGJaNCm5jLQD91466781