5 convicted in scheme to blow up Sears Tower

[ericlp]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.c...09213418_terror13.html



FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. ? After back-to-back mistrials, five men from one of Miami's poorest neighborhoods were convicted Tuesday of trying to join with al-Qaida in plots to topple Chicago's Sears Tower and bomb government buildings in South Florida.

Though a sixth man was acquitted in the terrorism sting operation, the verdict allows federal prosecutors to claim overall victory in a Bush-era case that dragged on for years and cost millions of taxpayer dollars.

Defense lawyers have said their clients were harmless dupes entrapped by government informants, and they vowed to appeal.

The defendants convicted in Miami federal court were Narseal Batiste, 35; Patrick Abraham, 29; Rotschild Augustine, 25; Burson Augustin, 24; and Stanley Grant Phanor, 33. Naudimar Herrera, 25, the sixth defendant, was found not guilty of all charges.

Herrera said the co-defendants, all friends of his, never plotted any terrorist acts and should have been acquitted as well.

"It's not right," he said. "They don't deserve none of this. I know them."

The group, arrested amid much fanfare in 2006, became known in the media as the Liberty City Six after the 2007 acquittal of a seventh defendant, Lyglenson Lemorin, 34, at the first trial. Lemorin, a Haitian national and legal permanent U.S. resident, is in immigration custody and fighting a deportation order based on the terror allegations.

According to prosecutors, the men, led by Batiste, wanted to bring down the U.S. government and sought an alliance with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaida to carry out attacks.

The group's aims included blowing up the 110-story Sears Tower, poisoning salt shakers in restaurants and launching terrorist attacks "just as good or greater than 9/11," prosecutors said.

After the verdict, Jonathan Solomon, special agent in charge of the FBI's South Florida field office, said the nation was a "much safer place" because of the prosecution.

Defense lawyers said their clients had been set up by overzealous government informants.

"This is not a terrorism case," Batiste's lawyer, Ana Jhones, said in her closing argument. "This is a manufactured crime."

The defendants worked for a construction company owned by Batiste and met for religious study in a warehouse in Miami's Liberty City neighborhood. They initially came under investigation when an area convenience-store clerk from Yemen reported to the FBI that Batiste was seeking support from Middle Eastern terrorists.

The FBI had the clerk introduce Batiste to an undercover informant posing as an al-Qaida financier.

A key piece of government evidence was a grainy videotape showing the men swearing an oath of loyalty to al-Qaida. Some of the defendants conducted photo surveillance for a fictional plot to bomb the FBI headquarters in Miami, according to evidence in the case.

FIVE POOR construction workers...

I'm all for taking out Right Winged Religious freaks but... Sheesh....

I find it funny tho that 5 people that probably don't have a clue to what they are doing get convicted for this rap. What's next will the FBI start playing commercials on TV to call the 1800 take an oath to Al-Qaida hot line? We got some REAL winners here!

I'm guessing the sad part is, how much time and money was wasted on this stunt?

 

[cubby1223]

Or they *might* actually be guilty.

The choice is either that they are guilty, or the FBI is both incompetent and insanely stubborn. I'm leaning towards the former.

 

[jpeyton]

For great justice :roll:

 

[rchiu]

Well just because they are "five poor construction workers" it doesn't mean that they can not conspire to commit terrorism. Some of the worst act of terrorism are carred out by poorest, least educated and brainwashed people.

I don't know the detail enough to comment if those guys are guilty or not. But since they went through the normal legal process and were convicted by a jury, I assume there were enough evidance for the jury to determine their guilt.

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: rchiu
But since they went through the normal legal process and were convicted by one out of three juries, I assume there were enough evidance for the jury to determine their guilt.

Fixed.

 

[smack Down]

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: rchiu
But since they went through the normal legal process and were convicted by one out of three juries, I assume there were enough evidance for the jury to determine their guilt.

Fixed.

And after replacing two panelist on the current jury.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

A more detailed account:

After two mistrials, a federal jury yesterday reached verdicts in the Bush-era terrorism case of six Miami men charged with conspiring with an FBI informant they believed was an al-Qaeda representative to blow up Chicago's landmark Sears Tower and federal buildings in Florida.

The jury convicted five of the so-called the Liberty City Six - ringleader Narseal Batiste, 35, along with Patrick Abraham, 29; Stanley Grant Phanor, 33; Rotschild Augustine, 25; and Burson Augustin, 24.

The only freed man was Naudimar Herrera, 25, who hugged the other defendants and his attorney, Richard Houlihan, after the verdicts.

"It's not right. They don't deserve this," said Herrera, who condemned the guilty verdicts for his fellow defendants. "All of us were supposed to be innocent. It's all B.S. They're going to come back and fight this. It ain't over."

The team of defense attorneys trashed the government's case as a "set-up."

The guilty verdicts were a belated victory for the former Bush administration and cheered the prosecution, which had seen two previous trials end with deadlocked jurors and the acquittal of a seventh defendant, Lyglenson Lemorin.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami had indicated that it would not have retried the six men if the third trial had ended in a hung jury.

The verdict was one of two victories yesterday for U.S. terror prosecutors. In New York, a jury convicted a Lebanese-born Swede of plotting to help al-Qaeda recruit by trying to set up a weapons-training post in Oregon and distributing terrorist training manuals over the Internet, the Associated Press reported. The verdict against Oussama Kassir capped a three-week trial.

The Liberty City Six - from one of Miami's poorest neighborhoods - were charged with four counts of conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization; provide material support to terrorists; destroy buildings with explosives; and levy war against the U.S. government in a seditious act.

Batiste - a former Chicago resident who was accused of being the mastermind of the alleged plot to blow up the Sears Tower - was the only defendant found guilty on all four counts.

Batiste, detained since his arrests with the others in June 2006, faces 70 years in prison. Abraham, a Haitian national, could serve up to 50 years. Phanor and the Augustin brothers, whose bonds were revoked by U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard, face up to 30 years. Sentencings are set for July 27.

The jury, which began deliberations April 27 after a two-month trial, was interrupted twice - the first time after a sick juror had to be replaced, and the second time after the judge removed a recalcitrant panelist because she refused to deliberate with the others. The jury reconvened May 5.

The case, involving secret recordings of phones, warehouses, and homes, was a sting operation.

In late 2005 and early 2006, the FBI wanted to test the militancy of Batiste, a Messianic-like figure who held sway over the other defendants.

The Chicago transplant tried to set up a construction business and religious organization called the Moorish Science Temple in a warehouse in Liberty City.

In the third trial, prosecutors put a new spin on the evidence by portraying Batiste as an admirer of a notorious Chicago criminal, Jeff Fort. A drug trafficker who led a black militant gang, Fort was convicted in 1987 of conspiring with Libya to terrorize the United States. But no evidence directly linked Batiste to Fort.

In fact, the government's case hinged on two FBI informants. The first, a convenience-store clerk from Yemen with a criminal history, snitched on Batiste after hearing him talk about his militant ideas.

At the FBI's direction, he introduced Batiste to the second informant, a more polished Middle Eastern man who posed as an al-Qaeda representative. He insinuated his way into Batiste's group by proposing al-Qaeda could help him on his mission to blow up the Sears Tower if Batiste could assist al-Qaeda in destroying FBI buildings.

The informant's plan was a fiction, designed to see how far Batiste would go with his extremist ambitions.

In the end, the case likely turned on Batiste and his followers' taking oaths to al-Qaeda and taking surveillance video of target sites, such as the FBI building in North Miami Beach and federal courthouse in downtown Miami.

But when FBI agents arrested the men nearly three years ago at their warehouse in Liberty City, they found no weapons of mass destruction and no terrorism blueprints.

"It wasn't until this informant came into the picture that things changed. All we wanted from him was money. It was like a dangling carrot," Herrera said.

So it seems that Herrera's defense was that he wasn't a terrorist, but he was going to scam al-Qaeda and just walk away.

I'm not feeling bad about this verdict.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Originally posted by: smack Down

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: rchiu
But since they went through the normal legal process and were convicted by one out of three juries, I assume there were enough evidance for the jury to determine their guilt.

Fixed.

And after replacing two panelist on the current jury.

Yeah, because one got sick and another was a drama queen.

 

[dphantom]

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: rchiu
But since they went through the normal legal process and were convicted by one out of three juries, I assume there were enough evidance for the jury to determine their guilt.

Fixed.

Wrong as always. 2 mistrials, the jury in those 2 cases had nothing to do with it.

1 jury, 1 conviction. Case closed.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Originally posted by: dphantom

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: rchiu
But since they went through the normal legal process and were convicted by one out of three juries, I assume there were enough evidance for the jury to determine their guilt.

Fixed.

Wrong as always. 2 mistrials, the jury in those 2 cases had nothing to do with it.

1 jury, 1 conviction. Case closed.

Two previous trials for the "Liberty City Six" ended in mistrials when juries could not agree on verdicts

 

[alchemize]

Curse you US justice system with your antiquated "jury of your peers" approach *shakes fist*.

IMO, we should convict people based on polls run on huffington post.

I like how the journalist felt like "from one of miami's poorest neighborhoods" needed to be in the first sentence.

 

[dphantom]

Originally posted by: heyheybooboo

Originally posted by: dphantom

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: rchiu
But since they went through the normal legal process and were convicted by one out of three juries, I assume there were enough evidance for the jury to determine their guilt.

Fixed.

Wrong as always. 2 mistrials, the jury in those 2 cases had nothing to do with it.

1 jury, 1 conviction. Case closed.

Two previous trials for the "Liberty City Six" ended in mistrials when juries could not agree on verdicts

Ok, you didn't provide a link so I had to do some digging and that is correct. Looks like some on the previous juries were protecting the defendants ending up in a hung jury.

 

[Genx87]

Who cares if they are poor?

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Originally posted by: heyheybooboo

Originally posted by: dphantom

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: rchiu
But since they went through the normal legal process and were convicted by one out of three juries, I assume there were enough evidance for the jury to determine their guilt.

Fixed.

Wrong as always. 2 mistrials, the jury in those 2 cases had nothing to do with it.

1 jury, 1 conviction. Case closed.

Two previous trials for the "Liberty City Six" ended in mistrials when juries could not agree on verdicts

One verdict- guilty.

I never cared much for Bush era terrorist stuff, but these guys were caught on tape. They convicted themselves out of their own mouths. The guy who got off said they were trying to rip off al-Qaeda. You might as well have tried to scam the Mafia and try to get away with it. So they didn't know they would have been killed? I don't buy it.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Originally posted by: Genx87
Who cares if they are poor?

Evidently the writer. I grew up in inner city Philadelphia and where I was probably wasn't much different from where these guys are from. It was common practice to sit around and talk about what mom and pop store or gas station someone on the street robbed.

Of course that's all mitigated by the fact that we lived in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Philly.

Right.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Originally posted by: Genx87
Who cares if they are poor?

Being that Batiste was trying to *con* (my choice of words) $50,000 out of the FBI I'd say it's germane.

Poor and (to be kind) less than intelligent.

I don't think $50k would take 7 guys very far in a terror plot. I could see this going down like this:

FBI: ""We'll give you $50k if you swear allegiance to al Qaeda.""

Batiste: ""Okey-dokey. Wanna use my Bible?""

 

[dphantom]

Originally posted by: heyheybooboo

Originally posted by: Genx87
Who cares if they are poor?

Being that Batiste was trying to *con* (my choice of words) $50,000 out of the FBI I'd say it's germane.

Poor and (to be kind) less than intelligent.

I don't think $50k would take 7 guys very far in a terror plot. I could see this going down like this:

FBI: ""We'll give you $50k if you swear allegiance to al Qaeda.""

Batiste: ""Okey-dokey. Wanna use my Bible?""

So when does being poor and less than intelligent (your words) alleviate a crime? They were found guilty. End of story.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Originally posted by: Hayabusa Rider

One verdict- guilty.

I never cared much for Bush era terrorist stuff, but these guys were caught on tape. They convicted themselves out of their own mouths. The guy who got off said they were trying to rip off al-Qaeda. You might as well have tried to scam the Mafia and try to get away with it. So they didn't know they would have been killed? I don't buy it.

In other words, the gov't was 1 for 3, and couldn't really hold the jury together for the '1' as juror No. 4 refused to deliberate.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Originally posted by: dphantom

Originally posted by: heyheybooboo

Originally posted by: Genx87
Who cares if they are poor?

Being that Batiste was trying to *con* (my choice of words) $50,000 out of the FBI I'd say it's germane.

Poor and (to be kind) less than intelligent.

I don't think $50k would take 7 guys very far in a terror plot. I could see this going down like this:

FBI: ""We'll give you $50k if you swear allegiance to al Qaeda.""

Batiste: ""Okey-dokey. Wanna use my Bible?""

So when does being poor and less than intelligent (your words) alleviate a crime? They were found guilty. End of story.

Where is the crime?

FBI: ""We'll give you cash to take pictures of these buildings.""

Poor Dumb Ass: ""How do you make this little flashy thing work?""

 

[Robor]

What made the convenience store clerk turn them in to the FBI?

As far as the sting goes... I think it's funny that the defense always says their client was set up. DUH! It's a sting. That's what they do. They set you up. :laugh:

 

[palehorse]

WTF does being poor have to do with it!?

They were found guilty, by a jury, in a court of law. Period.

Hang 'em all.

 

[alchemize]

Originally posted by: palehorse
WTF does being poor have to do with it!?

They were found guilty, by a jury, in a court of law. Period.

Hang 'em all.

You have to remember that the leftie reasoning behind 9/11 and all previous terror attacks was that the middle east is terribly poor and repressed, and that if we would just send them more money (but stop interfering in their islamofacist agenda) then the won't hate us. Problem solved!

 

[boomerang]

Originally posted by: alchemize

Originally posted by: palehorse
WTF does being poor have to do with it!?

They were found guilty, by a jury, in a court of law. Period.

Hang 'em all.

You have to remember that the leftie reasoning behind 9/11 and all previous terror attacks was that the middle east is terribly poor and repressed, and that if we would just send them more money (but stop interfering in their islamofacist agenda) then the won't hate us. Problem solved!

Don't forget the big hug and sincere handshake. That defuses most terrorists instantly.

 

[jman19]

Originally posted by: dphantom

Originally posted by: heyheybooboo

Originally posted by: dphantom

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: rchiu
But since they went through the normal legal process and were convicted by one out of three juries, I assume there were enough evidance for the jury to determine their guilt.

Fixed.

Wrong as always. 2 mistrials, the jury in those 2 cases had nothing to do with it.

1 jury, 1 conviction. Case closed.

Two previous trials for the "Liberty City Six" ended in mistrials when juries could not agree on verdicts

Ok, you didn't provide a link so I had to do some digging and that is correct. Looks like some on the previous juries were protecting the defendants ending up in a hung jury.

Looks like dphantom was wrong as usual.

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: heyheybooboo

Originally posted by: Genx87
Who cares if they are poor?

Being that Batiste was trying to *con* (my choice of words) $50,000 out of the FBI I'd say it's germane.

Poor and (to be kind) less than intelligent.

I don't think $50k would take 7 guys very far in a terror plot. I could see this going down like this:

FBI: ""We'll give you $50k if you swear allegiance to al Qaeda.""

Batiste: ""Okey-dokey. Wanna use my Bible?""

Doesnt sound like how it happened. Unless you believe the person tipping off the FBI lied about Baptiste seeking help from ME terrorists and then the FBI managed to get him to actually take the money from a fake AQ member and agree to follow through with a plan to blow up FBI HQ in Miami??

I guess the stars align every once in awhile right?

The bottom line is being poor and stupid doesnt excuse people who engage in criminal activity. Our prisons are full of people like that.