Georgia Terror Suspects Want Charges Tossed
The Guardian (UK) ^ | 10-4-2006 | Harry R Weber
guardian.co.uk
ATLANTA (AP) - Lawyers for two men charged with providing material support to terrorists want some charges against their clients dismissed and some evidence and conversations with investigators suppressed.
A flurry of motions were filed by defense lawyers for Syed Ahmed and Ehsanul Sadequee in federal court in Atlanta this week.
Sadequee, 20, and Ahmed, 21, are accused of discussing terror targets with Islamic extremists and undergoing training to carry out a ``violent jihad'' against civilian and government targets, including an air base in suburban Atlanta.
Authorities say the men's motivation for planning attacks was ``defense of Muslims or retaliation for acts committed against Muslims.'' Both are U.S. citizens. They have pleaded not guilty.
During a hearing last month, a prosecutor alleged that Sadequee wanted to join the Taliban after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Sadequee never joined the Taliban or traveled to Afghanistan, his lawyers have said.
Ahmed was born in Pakistan and was a Georgia Tech student at the time of his arrest. Sadequee was born in Virginia and is of Bangladeshi descent. Both are being held without bail pending trial.
In court documents, the defense lawyers argue there are procedural or technical problems with the charges.
Sadequee's lawyer, Don Samuel, wants the court to suppress statements Sadequee made to law enforcement officers when he was questioned at a New York airport while waiting to catch a connecting flight to Bangladesh. Samuel said the officers used deception to get Sadequee to talk to them, constituting an unlawful detention. He also wants evidence seized from Sadequee's luggage suppressed.
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