MIAMI, Dec. 13, 2007
Jury Deadlocks In Homegrown Terror Trial
Mistrial Declared After One Acquittal In Sears Tower Plot; Govt. Will Retry Other Suspects
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Photo
U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Arango, center, makes her closing arguments before Judge Joan Lenard during the so-called "Liberty City Seven" trial in Miami, Nov. 29, 2007. Arango said Narseal Batiste, center, seated in brown jacket, was the commander of a homegrown terrorism cell that sought an unholy alliance with al-Qaida to destroy the Chicago Sears Tower and bomb several FBI offices. (AP/Shirley Henderson)
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Federal prosecutor Richard Gregorie said the government plans to retry the six next year. The Bush administration had seized on the case to illustrate the dangers of homegrown terrorism and trumpet the government's post-Sept. 11 success in infiltrating and smashing terrorism plots in their earliest stages.
Lyglenson Lemorin was acquitted and buried his face in his hands when the verdict was read.
The jury gave up on the other defendants after nine days of deliberations on four terrorism-related conspiracy charges that carry a combined maximum of 70 years in prison. The jury twice sent notes to the judge indicating they could not reach verdicts but were told to keep trying. The mistrial came after their third note.
"We believe no further progress can be made," it said. U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard read the note in court.
Prosecutors said the "Liberty City Seven" - so-named because they operated out of a warehouse in Miami's blighted Liberty City section - swore allegiance to al Qaeda and hoped to forge an alliance to carry out bombings against America's tallest skyscraper, the FBI's Miami office and other federal buildings.
The group never actually made contact with al Qaeda. Instead, a paid FBI informant known as Brother Mohammed posed as an al Qaeda emissary.
The defense portrayed the seven men as hapless figures who were either manipulated and entrapped by the FBI or went along with the plot to con "Mohammed" out of $50,000.
The group never actually made contact with al Qaeda and never acquired any weapons or explosives. Prosecutors said no attack was imminent, acknowledging that the alleged terror cell was "more aspirational than operational."
But then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said after the arrests in mid-2006 that the group was emblematic of the "smaller, more loosely defined cells who are not affiliated with al Qaeda, but who are inspired by a violent jihadist message."
And U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta of Miami said: "Our mission is to disrupt these cells if possible before they acquire the capability to implement their plans."
The Liberty City Seven, who included immigrants from Haiti and the Dominican Republic, adhered to a sect called the Moorish Science Temple that blends elements of Islam, Christianity and Judaism.
The government case was built largely on FBI surveillance video and some 12,000 telephone intercepts.
One key piece of evidence was a video of the seven men taking an oath of loyalty to al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden in a March 2006 ceremony.
Also, the group's leader, 33-year-old Narseal Batiste was overheard talking about starting a "full ground war" against the U.S. government by bringing down the 110-story Sears Tower - an attack he said would be "as good or greater than 9/11."
Batiste also supplied the informant with detailed wish lists that included assault rifles, bulletproof vests, uniforms, motorcycles and $50,000 in cash, prosecutors said.
However, Batiste testified he faked interest in the plot and really only wanted the money.
Members of the group also took reconnaissance photos of the FBI office and downtown federal buildings at the informant's request.
Defense lawyers contended that the informant and an overzealous FBI were responsible for pushing the alleged conspiracy along.
"This was all written, directed and produced by the FBI," said defense attorney Albert Levin.
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Re: "The group never actually made contact with al Qaeda and never acquired any weapons or explosives."
In other words, they never posed any threat whatsoever.
They appear to have been little more than patsies for the Bush regime''s terrorist network.
Even with a cooked-up case, the Regime could not get a conviction.
This highlights the joke nature of the Regime''s War of Terror.
In other words, they never posed any threat whatsoever.
They appear to have been little more than patsies for the Bush regime''''s terrorist network.
Posted by FeelFree1 at 06:10 PM : Dec 13, 2007
Feely, with your best guess, what would have happened if the informer had been a real terrorist, If these jugheads had been steered in a different direction by a "SMART" terrorist. or (let me give you the ''out'' you want) would they have failed because terrorists do not exist outside the US Gvnmnt, (your words)
ToolMangler,
Re: "would they have failed because terrorists do not exist outside the US Gvnmnt"
Assuming that the rest of the U.S. case is not ***, which remains to be seen, they would have failed because they lacked the means to do anything, as seems to be typically the case in regime related "terrorist" prosecutions.
In other words, they never posed any threat whatsoever.
They appear to have been little more than patsies for the Bush regime''''s terrorist network.
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Posted by FeelFree1 at 06:10 PM : Dec 13, 2007
+ report abuse
******
I guess they just got in touch with the wrong person..maybe you should give your contact information more clearly next time..
I would not doubt it for one second that those liberals that does have cahones (unlike your arse), they would not hesitate to gain alliance with a terrorist group..
I know this much, when they do attack, these homegrown terrorists will not be very selective. They would cause harm to women, children, the elderly, the liberals, the conservative, the handicapped%u2026they simply DO NOT CARE.
And what would the liberals say then?? %u201CMy bad..I apologize.%u201D
I must be a moron too. This is yet another dupe perpetrated by the SHRUB administration to keep Americans paranoid. And in Libs case, seems to be working well.
-IMPEACH BUSH
Posted by zootallures2 at 09:17 PM : Dec 13, 2007
Zooty! how much are they paying you to say this junk?
This Spiel of yours (that was a jewish word I think) is so full of holes you can drive a hummer through it. If I were unknowing about what happens to metal in stress situations It "might" be different. you are a blind man trying to explain an elephant to a sighted man that is looking at it and then disagreeing with him for correcting you.
-IMPEACH BUSH
Posted by TiredoftheBS at 09:04 PM : Dec 13, 2007
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well after accessing your logic..YOU ARE A MORON..
if you loose some change from your coin jar you blame bush...
deadlock DOES NOT MEAN not guilty..
Posted by TiredoftheBS at 09:04 PM : Dec 13, 2007
+ report abuse
***************
whats the progress on that little DNC promise????
the DNC loves morons..you give them a little song and dance, show them a few pretty liberal celebrity faces..and they get the vote..
Most likely both. The 50K was bait.
The group never actually made contact with al Qaeda and never acquired any weapons or explosives. Prosecutors said no attack was imminent, acknowledging that the alleged terror cell was "more aspirational than operational."
Obviously another set up of scapegoats that the Bush klan tried to use to scare Americans out of their rights.
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Posted by swwils at 11:03 PM : Dec 13, 2007
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Why don''t we just go ahead a creat a Gestapo and have the second class citizens panel? Who do you suggest determine witch citicens get tried as full citizens and thus have constitutional rights and which citizens are to be ranked as "terrorist" second class and do not have those constitutional rights. This will most certainly solve the world wide problem we face today...the one where our leaders are concidered FASCIST. These poor fools had NO idea how to be terrorist and we nothing but street punks trying to find an angle. But when you are in the business of scaring the dickens out of We the PEOPLE, they have to be called Terrorist... Sieg Heil Bush!!
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The answer. No need to fly. Give them a cigarette lighter in the dry season and send them to the south west by bus. The National Guard is chasing their tails in Iraq and so is their equipment.
Your calling them terrorist but they weren''t found guilty. Maybe they are extortionist, only going for the $50,000.
Military tribunals are as one sided as they come. It would make it easier to get a conviction using the military because as a defendant you can be tortured, denied access to attorneys, can''t cross examine witnesses, not shown evidence and not judged by your peers. Doesn''t sound fare to me.
How can people live in a totalitarian society without having such thoughts? and how can a government be totaltrain with prosecuting people for these same thoughts?
This thing bush started could really snowball out of controll fast!
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by Krazcarl
December 14, 2007 12:48 PM PST
- This is why we pay taxes to help procecuters build a name for themselves it''s been going on a long time with no end in sight some of our presidents have been former procecuters there just looking for a pat on the back and some fool will give them one and it starts all over.
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