U.S. Judge Rules That Five Jihadists Training Children To Conduct School Shootings Can Be Released On Bail

CNN: New Mexico compound suspects were on a violent mission, prosecutors say. But defense sees it differently

Taos, New Mexico (CNN)The evidence was intended to paint a disturbing picture of a zealous family training for a violent mission against government institutions, New Mexico prosecutors said.

The family fled Georgia for a compound in New Mexico where they trained their children in firearms use, according to testimony. A child died at his father's hand during a religious ritual intended to expel religious demons from his body. Eleven more malnourished children were later found on the property.

The family believed that once the demons were gone, the boy would return as Jesus four months later and tell his family which institutions to get rid of, a witness said. Those who did not believe "their message" would be killed or detained "until they believed," a teenager on the compound said, according to a FBI agent.

But a lawyer for one of the five adults countered, saying the defendants were following religious rituals that might be viewed in a different light if they were white Christians instead of black Muslims.

Read more ....

Update: New Mexico Jihadis Can Leave Jail Until Child Abuse Trial, Judge Rules (Daily Caller).

WNU Editor: This is insane.

New York Jury Finds Radical Islamic Cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri Guilty In Terror Trial

Jury Finds Radical Islamic Cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri Guilty In Terror Trial -- CNN

New York (CNN) -- A federal jury in New York on Monday found radical Islamic cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri guilty of charges that he aided terrorists in incidents that span the globe, from a remote Oregon ranch to the dusty desert of the Arabian Peninsula.

Abu Hamza al-Masri faced 11 criminal counts for allegedly aiding kidnappers during a 1998 hostage-taking in Yemen; sending a young recruit to jihadists in Afghanistan; violating U.S. sanctions against the Taliban; and attempting to establish an al Qaeda-style training camp on the West Coast of the United States. He was found guilty on all counts.

The jury deliberated for more than 12 hours over two days.

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More News On A New York Jury Finding Radical Islamic Cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri Guilty In Terror Trial

Islamist Cleric Abu Hamza Guilty on Terror Charges -- Time/AP
Abu Hamza found guilty of terror charges in US court -- BBC
BREAKING NEWS: Hate preacher Abu Hamza found guilty in US court of helping Al-Qaeda terrorists -- Daily Mail
British Cleric Guilty in U.S. Terror Trial -- WSJ
Abu Hamza Found Guilty In New York Terror Trial -- SKY News
Islamic Cleric Convicted of Terrorism Charges in U.S. -- Bloomberg Businessweek
London imam Abu Hamza convicted of U.S. terrorism charges -- Reuters
Abu Hamza: The trial of a violent jihadist -- Nick Bryant, BBC News

Osama bin Laden's Son-In-Law Sulaiman Abu Ghaith Is Found Guilty On Terrorism Charges

Sulaiman Abu Ghaith: Bin Laden's Son-In-Law Convicted -- BBC

Osama Bin Laden's son-in-law Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, who was an al-Qaeda spokesman after 9/11, has been convicted of terrorism-related charges at a trial in New York.

He could face life in prison when he is sentenced in September for conspiracy to kill Americans and aiding al-Qaeda.

The Kuwaiti clergyman was captured in Jordan last year and brought to the US.

He is the highest-ranking al-Qaeda figure to face trial on US soil since the attacks.

The jury returned a guilty verdict on three charges: conspiracy to kill Americans, conspiring to provide support to al-Qaeda, and providing support to al-Qaeda. The verdict came after about five hours of deliberation.

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More News On Osama bin Laden's Son-In-Law Sulaiman Abu Ghaith Being Found Guilty On Terrorism Charges

Abu Ghaith, Bin Laden’s Son-in-Law, Is Convicted in Terror Trial -- New York Times
Bin Laden son-in-law found guilty on US terror charges -- AFP
Jury convicts bin Laden son-in-law on terrorism charges -- Reuters
Bin Laden's son-in-law convicted at NYC terror trial -- FOX News/AP
Bin Laden son-in-law guilty of terrorism -- Al Jazeera
Bin Laden's Son-in-Law Convicted of Aiding Al-Qaeda After 9/11 -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Osama bin Laden's son-in-law found guilty at New York terror trial -- CNN
Bin Laden's Son-in-Law Convicted in US Terrorism Case -- Voice of America
Bin Laden's Son-in-Law Found Guilty in Terror Trial -- 5th Update -- Wall Street Journal
Bin Laden son-in-law found guilty on terrorism charges -- Deutsche Welle
Osama Bin Laden's Son-in-Law Found Guilty of Aiding Terror Plans -- Slate
Bin Laden's son-in-law convicted in NYC: why case was so closely watched -- Harry Bruinius, Christian Science Monitor

Bin Laden Son-in-Law Terror Case Seen Delayed By Budget Cuts

Photo: A man identified as Mr Abu Ghaith is seen in this still from a video address. BBC

Bin Laden Son-in-Law Terror Case Seen Delayed by Budget -- Bloomberg

A Manhattan federal judge said it was “extremely troublesome” that the terrorism trial of Osama Bin Laden’s son-in-law could be delayed by across-the-board federal budget cuts.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan made the comment during a hearing today in the case of Sulaiman Abu Ghayth, Bin Laden’s former chief spokesman. Abu Ghayth is charged with conspiring to kill Americans before and after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He pleaded not guilty last month.

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More News On The Bin Laden Son-in-Law Terror Case Being Delayed By Budget Cuts

Federal budget woes could delay NYC terrorism trial for bin Laden’s son-in-law until next year -- Washington Post/AP
Budget Cuts Could Delay Trial of Osama bin Laden's Relative -- Wall Street Journal
Osama bin Laden’s brother in law may have his trial delayed because of sequestration, of all things -- New York Daily News
Bin Laden 'aide' trial may be delayed by US budget row -- BBC
Trial for Osama bin Laden's son-in-law may be delayed by sequester furloughs -- The Guardian

My Comment: My eyes are rolling .... even before the trial is to start it is now becoming a joke.

Where Is Osama Bin Laden's Son-In-Law Being Held In New York City?

The Metropolitan Correctional Center's 'Terror Wing' is where Sulaiman Abu Ghaith is being held on charges of conspiring to kill Americans on 9/11

Inside the 'Terror Wing' Where Bin Laden's Son-In-Law Is Locked Up Just Blocks From Ground Zero On Charges Of Conspiring To Kill Americans On 9/11 -- Daily Mail

* Al Qaeda spokesman Sulaiman Abu Ghaith pleaded not guilty in federal court on Friday
* He's being held in the 'Terror Wing' at Metropolitan Correctional Center - less than a mile from where World Trade Center stood
* Jail has housed some of the most notorious criminals over the years, including mob boss John Gotti and 1993 World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef
* Building looks like a fortress and cells are said to be filthy and comparable to jail depicted in the novel The Count of Monte Cristo

Osama bin Laden's son-in-law is being held in a super-secret 'terror wing' of a fortress-like federal prison that has housed some of the most notorious criminals of recent memory.

Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, who pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of conspiring to kill Americans on 9/11, is in a cell that's eight feet by 12 feet inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center.

He's locked up just blocks from the former site of the World Trade Center where nearly 3,000 people were killed on 9/11.

Read more ....

My Comment: I suspect that the security in the place must be very tight.

Uproar Over Key Al Qaeda Terrorist Acquitted Of All But One Charge In Federal U.S. Court

Ahmed Ghailani's Acquittal On Nearly All Counts In Embassy Bombings Case Has Big Repercussions -- New York Daily News

WASHINGTON - Ahmed Ghailani was supposed to be the test case, the reason why political opposition to trying Guantanamo goons in civilian courts was just hot air.

But now, after "Foopie" Ghailani was acquitted on all but one count for his role in the 1998 East Africa embassy bombings by Al Qaeda, Team Obama's hope of trying Gitmo's worst in civilian courts has been all but dashed.

Read more ....

More News On The Acquittal Of Ahmed Ghailani

Terror verdict deals blow to Obama Gitmo plan -- MSNBC
Terror detainee largely acquitted -- Washington Post
Guantanamo detainee Ghailani's lawyer says he is innocent -- BBC
Trial Omitted Statements by Ghailani -- New York Times
Ex-Guantanamo detainee acquitted of most charges -- Boston.com
Guantánamo detainee Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani cleared of 284 terror charges -- The Guardian
Guantánamo prisoner Ahmed Ghailani cleared of 276 charges -- The Telegraph
Guantanamo Detainee Convicted on Only One Count in NY -- Voice of America
Jury Convicts Embassy Bomb Suspect Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani on Just 1 of 286 Charges -- ABC News
First conviction unlikely to help Obama shut Gitmo -- AP
Terror Verdict Tests Obama’s Strategy on Civilian Trials -- New York Times
Embassy Bombing Verdict May Discourage More Civilian Trials -- Bloomberg
Ghailani verdict could signal an end to civilian terror trials -- Christian Science Monitor
Obama's plan to try KSM in civilian court may be done -- USA Today
What now for Barack Obama and Guantánamo Bay? -- Peter Walker, The Guardian

Major Terrorism Trial Postponed

Photo: Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani. Federal Bureau of Investigtion, via Reuters

Judge Bars Major Witness From Civilian Terrorism Trial -- New York Times

Minutes before a major terrorism trial was about to begin, a federal judge barred prosecutors in Manhattan on Wednesday from using a key witness.

The government had acknowledged it learned about the witness from the defendant, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, while he was being interrogated and held in a secret overseas jail run by the Central Intelligence Agency.

The ruling by Judge Lewis A. Kaplan would seem to be a setback for the Obama administration’s goal of trying former detainees in civilian courts, because it would limit the kinds of evidence that prosecutors could introduce. Mr. Ghailani became the first former detainee to be moved into the civilian court system for trial.

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More News On The Terror Trial Of Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani

US judge nixes star government witness in terror trial -- AFP
Ghailani Embassy Bombing Trial Witness Barred by Judge From Testifying -- Bloomberg
U.S. Terror Trial Postponed After Witness Barred -- Radio Free Europe
First Guantánamo civilian trial in disarray as judge blocks key witness -- The Telegraph
Gov. Witness Barred From Testifying in Tanzania Bombing Case -- Wall Street Journal
Prosecutors dealt blow as star witness can't testify against alleged Al Qaeda thug Ahmed Ghailani -- New York Daily News
AG confident of Guantanamo detainee's prosecution -- AP
Judge Excludes Damning Testimony Against Al Qaeda Terrorist, Ahmed Ghailani -- Weekly Standard
In blow to Obama, Guantanamo detainee trial delayed -- Reuters
Ghailani case foreshadows future terror trials -- BBC
Ruling could be setback for civilian terror trials -- Politico
FACTBOX-Guantanamo detainee civilian trial delayed -- Reuters

My Comment: This was entirely predictable. In fact, I have mentioned many times in this blog that taking combatants captured overseas and putting them in front of a US judge under US law .... each case is going to be thrown out, even if the US Attorney General is convinced that a conviction will be obtained.

Four weeks before Congressional elections .... this is news that the Democrats who are running for office will not want to hear.

Have 300+ Terrorists Been Convicted In The U.S.?

Why Does DOJ Say 300+ Terrorists Convicted? -- FOX News

The "blogosphere" has been abuzz over whether Attorney General Eric Holder and others in the Obama Administration can accurately claim that more than 300 terrorists have been convicted in federal, civilian courts.

Holder employs the statistic in an effort to blunt criticism over the decision to try the five alleged 9/11 conspirators – and more recently, the alleged Christmas Day bomber – in a civilian court.

Read more ....

My Comment: I read and follow the news on a daily basis. The idea that 300+ terrorists have been convicted and are presently residing in Federal prisons is preposterous. Saying that the Obama got these figures from the Bush administration is just passing the buck .... the fact of the matter is that there are no "300 prisoners" who have been convicted, and continuing this lie is only distorting the debate.

The Case For A ‘National Security Court’

From HS Today:

'The Al Qaeda fighter is a hybrid'

An interesting issue has been raised. And that is, if Muslim Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan’s alleged jihadist terror attack at Fort Hood that killed 13 and wounded several dozen is determined to have been an act of extremist Islamist jihad against the United States fomented or in any way inspired by Al Qaeda, then should Hasan legally be considered a terrorist combatant in the War on Al Qaeda (WOAQ), and his fate subject to adjudication by the military commissions system established to try terrorists in the WOAQ – or some other system of dispensing justice, like the National Security Court system (NSCS) that’s advocated by some authorities?

Read more ....

My Comment: This is a long report .... but there is a lot of information here, and it answers a number of questions on where it appears that we are going when it comes to trying Jihadists and Al Qaeda soldiers in the future.

Huge Majority Oppose Civilian Trials For Al Qaeda Leaders

Possible venue for 9/11 Trails? Manhattan Federal Courthouse (Photo from Flickr)

CNN Poll: Americans Want KSM Tried In Military Court -- CNN

Washington (CNN) – Two-thirds of Americans disagree with the Obama administration's decision to try Khalid Sheik Mohammed in a civilian court rather than a military court, according to a new national poll.

But six in 10 people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday say that the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks should be tried in the United States, as the administration plans to do, rather than at a U.S. facility in another country.

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My Comment: Only 64% oppose ... I expected a higher percentage. My prediction .... as more people become knowledgeable and aware of the consequences in having such trials .... this percentage is going to be north of 80%. If one of these murderers gets off .... expect this number to go north of 90%.

Five Convicted In Terrorism Financing Trial

From The New York Times:

DALLAS — On their second try, federal prosecutors won sweeping convictions Monday against five leaders of a Muslim charity in a retrial of the largest terrorism-financing case in the United States since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The five defendants, all leaders of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, based in Richardson, a Dallas suburb, were convicted on all 108 criminal counts against them, including support of terrorism, money laundering and tax fraud. The group was accused of funneling millions of dollars to the Palestinian militant group Hamas, an Islamist organization the government declared to be a terrorist group in 1995.

Read more ....