Iron Maiden.
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| Home Front: WoT |
| Paracha convicted |
| 2005-11-24 |
| A Pakistani man who claimed he was pressured into a false confession was convicted Wednesday of trying to help an al-Qaida operative slip past U.S. immigration officials. A federal jury deliberated for about five hours before finding Uzair Paracha, 25, guilty of providing material support to terrorists and of other related charges. He could face up to 75 years in prison. The government accused Paracha of trying to help Majid Khan, an alleged al-Qaida member, sneak into the country using fake travel documents. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karl Metzner told the jury Paracha wanted to help Khan and "did so knowing that a terrorist was coming here for one purpose: to kill Americans." Paracha testified he was pressured into confession and only told investigators "what I thought they wanted to hear." His defense attorney Edward Wilford said the FBI denied his client food and sleep during hours of questioning -- "the ideal conditions to create a false confession." The man Paracha is accused of trying to help, Khan, is presumed to be in overseas jails. Paracha's father, Saifullah Paracha, is also being held as an enemy combatant in the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He has not been charged with a crime, but documents indicate he is suspected of laundering money for terrorists and associating with al-Qaida figures. He has repeatedly denied any knowing involvement in terrorism. Uzair Paracha grew up in Pakistan, but has lived off and on for many years in New York, where his family has several business ventures. After his detention in 2003, he told agents that Khan had tried to recruit him to al-Qaida and made clear that he wanted to come to the United States as part of a plot to attack Americans. Paracha told the agents he had no personal interest in al-Qaida but cooperated because Khan and others related to the terrorist network had promised to invest $200,000 in one of the family's businesses. Just before the trial began two weeks ago, U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein denied Paracha's request to call as witnesses Khan, Ammar Al-Baluchi and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, al-Qaida's No. 3 leader, who was in U.S. custody after he was captured in Pakistan. Paracha's sentencing is set for March 4. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #3 Iron Maiden. |
| Posted by: Fred 2005-11-24 12:13 |
#2 Iron Maiden? Excellent! |
| Posted by: Raj 2005-11-24 09:55 |
| #1 "the ideal conditions to create a false confession." Not quite,little Eddie.The rack,or iron maiden,those are ideal. |
| Posted by: raptor 2005-11-24 06:33 |