Friday, July 27, 2007

Thought Crimes: Prosecutors say they don't have to link Padilla to a specific terror plan

Without a plot, is Padilla guilty?
Prosecutors say they don't have to link the US citizen to a specific terror plan.

A surprising question is emerging as a central issue in the high stakes terror trial of Jose Padilla and two other men.

The three are facing charges that they plotted to spread violent jihad through a murderous campaign around the world. But federal prosecutors say it is unnecessary to link the terror suspects to an actual plan of terror.

Instead, government lawyers argue that a series of shady phone calls and a few documents are enough to establish the existence of a terror conspiracy and send all three defendants to prison potentially for the rest of their lives.

The issue is significant in the Bush administration's war on terror because if upheld in the courts the government's approach would permit proactive prosecutions of individuals long before they take any affirmative step toward carrying out a specific act of terror against a particular target.

Individuals who are perceived to be sympathetic to Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda, or a version of Islam viewed as too militant could be prosecuted if the government believes they are on the road to carrying out "violent jihad."

Full article, Christian Science Monitor, July 19, 2007

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They tortured the poor bastard for 5 years, trashed the Bill Of Rights and the rest of the US Constitution, and *this* is the best they could come up with???

TLC

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