Defense Rests in Miami Terrorism Trial

Source: Associated Press

Defense Rests in Miami Terrorism Trial

Wednesday November 21, 2007 5:01 AM

MIAMI (AP) - The defense wrapped up its case
Tuesday in the trial of seven men charged with
plotting to destroy Chicago's Sears Tower and bomb
FBI offices in Miami and other cities.

U.S. District Court Judge Joan Lenard ordered the
jury to return next Tuesday to hear a brief rebuttal
case from federal prosecutors. Closing arguments
could begin the following day.

During the trial, which has lasted nearly two months,
only one of the defendants took the stand.

Narseal Batiste, the alleged leader of the so-called
“Liberty City Seven,” testified that he invented a
fake plot to destroy Chicago's Sears Tower in order
to con money out of a man who claimed to be an
al-Qaida operative. Batiste had dozens of meetings
with the man, who was actually a paid FBI informant.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7092978,00.html

The judge in this case is very biased.

In this article
http://www.jacksonville.com/apnews/stories/110207/D8SLNEE00.shtml
Instead of just saying the prosecution has a case so the trial should proceed, the judge made the ruling that



This article (which is restricted due to it being dated) states


Every ruling the Judge has made to date has been in favor of the prosecution even one which clearly (or at least to me) tainted the jury.

Like who contacted who first? Who brought up blowing up the Sears Tower? How was it decided by the FBI that this particular organization was targeted for observation? Who is the agent that did the under cover work and what is his record?

From the first time I heard about this it just reeked of a set up. I don't mind the FBI searching for terrorists. I actually greatly support them. However, why are they targeting basically homeless people that had no ties to anything remotely terrorists? It's just a dog and pony show and these guys are going to serve prison sentences.

bet the jury will find these 7 not-too-bright young men guilty of 'terrorism'. At the very most, they are guilty of trying to scam the FBI informant.

both to make it look like he's doing something about that(he isn't) and to justify greater suspension of the law to prevent these "serious" threats of attack.

Show trials...aren't we supposed to be above tin-pot behavior?

<snip>

"Federal prosecutors and defense attorneys will offer starkly different portrayals of seven Miami men during closing arguments Thursday in the homegrown terrorism trial of the "Liberty City Seven."

The prosecution will argue that the men were organizing a jihad mission to blow up Chicago's Sears Tower and federal buildings in Miami and other cities in an insurrection against the U.S. government.

A critical piece of evidence: The seven defendants, while under video surveillance, pledged themselves to al Qaeda without knowing that an FBI informant was leading them deeper into their alleged terrorism plot.

Defense attorneys will counter that the Miami group's leader, Narseal Batiste, and his followers had no intention of destroying any buildings or waging holy war against the United States -- that it was all a ruse to get money from the informant.

The trial, which began with the selection of a racially mixed, 12-person federal jury in late September, will likely wrap up in early December, when the panel begins deliberating the men's fate."

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_dade/story/325308.html