A mysterious star witness
is expected to testify in the trial of accused homegrown terrorist Tarek Mehanna today in Boston. He is expected to describe how he, Mehanna and a third man embarked for Yemen in 2004 to be trained for jihad and enlist as terrorists to slaughter American troops in Iraq.
His testimony could prove key in a federal case Mehanna's defense team calls an affront to the First Amendment, with its heavy reliance on Mehanna's possession of Islamist literature and viewpoints. The evidence list also includes personal emails and passports
| A multiplicity? How many countries has the gentleman passports for, and were any stamped "Made in Pakistan" in invisible ink? |
that are likely to be used to show that Mehanna tried to act on his beliefs.
Jury selection begins today in U.S. District Court. Attorneys indicated in documents filed Friday with Judge George A. O'Toole Jr.
The witness list remained secret last night, but prosecutors disclosed in a recent filing that one witness -- the person referred to as "K" in Mehanna's 2010 superseding indictment -- will testify that he, Mehanna and fugitive co-defendant Ahmad Abousamra flew to the UAE in 2004 in a botched attempt to enroll in a terrorist training camp in Yemen. Mehanna and Abousamra, believed to be in Syria, are charged with conspiring to provide material support to al-Qaeda and to kill Americans in a foreign country
Mehanna, 29, claims he went to Yemen while on break from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy to further his studies of the Arab language.
| A Berlitz course being impractical... |
Prosecutors assured O'Toole they have plenty of evidence in Mehanna's online chats, emails and radical library that "demonstrate his intent."
Mehanna's backers are calling for a mobilization in his support outside the courthouse Thursday morning, being told by O'Toole that outbursts and "Free Tarek" paraphernalia will not be tolerated inside. The Rev. Jason Lydon of the Unitarian Community Church of Boston, who has corresponded with Mehanna in prison, said there will not be outbursts or demonstrations in court.
Lydon said, "He is a gentle, loving, compassionate man, who wishes to teach his faith. I'm really hopeful the jury will see he did nothing wrong, and Tarek will come back to the community." |