A court in Rome refused to free eight Moroccans jailed on suspicion of plotting a chemical attack on the U.S. Embassy. The suspects were arrested last month in raids on two apartments on Rome's outskirts. Police said they found more than eight pounds of a cyanide-based compound as well as firecrackers and maps marking the Embassy and its water-supply lines. Defense lawyer Domenico Martelli told the Judge Riccardo Mineo that the compound -- potassium ferrocyanide -- is a harmless substance that can be used for gardening. The arrests led to the discovery of a hole large enough to crawl through in a utility tunnel adjacent to the embassy. At an initial court appearance last month, the suspects said they did not know how the chemical compound got into the apartment.
In legal circles, this is known as the "It ain't mine. Somebody left it here." defense. |