Jose Padilla found GUILTY of federal terrorism charges

MIAMI - Jose Padilla was convicted of federal terrorism support charges Thursday after being held for 3 1/2 years as an enemy combatant in a case that came to symbolize the Bush administration's zeal to stop homegrown terror.

Padilla, Adham Amin Hassoun and Kifah Wael Jayyousi face possible sentences of life in prison if convicted of all three charges in the case.

The three are accused of being part of a North American support cell that provided supplies, money and recruits to groups of Islamic extremists. The defense contended they were trying to help persecuted Muslims in war zones with relief and humanitarian aid.

Padilla was first detained in 2002 because of much more sensational accusations. The Bush administration portrayed Padilla, a U.S. citizen and Muslim convert, as a committed terrorist who was part of an al-Qaida plot to detonate a radioactive "dirty bomb" in the U.S. The administration called his detention an important victory in the war against terrorism, not long after the Sept. 11 attacks.

The charges brought in civilian court in Miami, however, were a pale shadow of those initial claims in part because Padilla, 36, was interrogated about the plot when he was held as an enemy combatant for 3 1/2 years in military custody with no lawyer present and was not read his Miranda rights.

Padilla's attorneys fought for years to get his case into federal court, and he was finally added to the Miami terrorism support indictment in late 2005 just as the U.S. Supreme Court was poised to consider President Bush's authority to continue detaining him. Padilla had lived in South Florida in the 1990s and was supposedly recruited by Hassoun at a mosque to become a mujahedeen fighter.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070816/ap_on_re_us/padilla_terror_charges;_ylt=ApgIGb.EI_LdNSTWmUBGasus0NUE
He was caught under the patroit act. And the Patroit Act worked!! There has been no terror attacks since sept 11 2001. So George Bush is doing something right.

 

He's doing something right? This is the same administration that charged him on something that they couldn't even back up with evidence just to get him arrested.

 

The point is he was caught under the Patriot act. The FBI wiretapped his phone conversations about terrorism. They got him before he could carry out a some sort of an terrorist act.Its the best way to beat the enemy before they can strike.

 

The Patriot Act is the best way to take away peoples freedoms without them noticing as well.

The Patriot Act has striking similarities to the Enabling act of the Weimar. We can look back now and say how bad the Enabling act was.
But because you are blinded by your fear of the common invisible enemy the terrorists, you dont notice your freedoms are being sucked away from you (just like the terrorists are trying to achieve anyway).

 

Which freedoms would these be exactly? More specifically, the ones I'll never notice?

The freedom to communicate terrorist activities via email and cell phone? I use both more than anyone I know. At least in my case, the govt is more than welcome to sift though mine as I have no use for them in this capacity. The govt is welcome to my financial records as well, as I'm not in the habit of making contributions to my local hezbollah chapter, It would be a wasted effort.

Much like the additional wait time at airports, it may be an inconvenience to law abiding citizens but if it curtails the business of terrorism in this country, how is this detrimental to our freedoms?

-Castle

 

Mine too Castle, I got nothing to hide. Im 100% for the Patriot Act

 

It depends if you value your individual freedoms (not just in your head) or if you are willing to just hand everything over to the state.

 

I cant think of any.

 

It is an act that takes away people privacy and rights, and is a building block to further taking away fair trials of terror suspects.

 

We havent had an Terrorist attack since 9-11 so Its working.Sub which you rather have Al Queda attacks again somewhere lets say this time in San Francisco But this time they used a Dirty Bomb and over 10,000 people are dead and another 50,000 taken to hospitals. Now would you put up with watching NBC,CBS & ABC TV all day watching this terror coverage OR Keep the Patroit Act and be safe? And If a Terrorist attack like this ever happens you can expect George Bush Launch Nukes at IRAN & Pakistan as retalation.

 

Its because you watch too much CNN and Fox that you actually believe this Patriot Act is the best thing ever and doesn't infringe on your personal freedoms or give the government an uncomfortable amount of power.

 

Sub you still have not explan why we have not had a terrorist attack since 9-11

 

What I would say to people who truly care about civil liberties is that you better sincerely hope we win this war against Islamic terrorism before they launch a more devastating attack on American soil than anything we have ever seen before. Because if that happens, you bet Americans are going to voluntarily give up a lot of civil liberties to protect themselves.

 

The fact remains the patroit act gives a weapon to law enforcement officers and agents the power to fight the enemy. And get these terrorist before they can strike. And im 100% all for this as long it saves lives. But i dont think they should be tried in civilian courts. Cause these Liberal judges will let em go just like if theyre even tried in vermont or in Masseschutes i gurantee you those judges will aquit them.Theyre better off tried in Military court cause those Judges and the jury have to obey orders from the commanding officers. If he tells you to hand a guilty sentence you better do it or youll be serving in a stockade, Peeling potatoes or scrubbing garbage cans.

 

Just FYI

The number of terrorist attacks worldwide has soared according to our goverment:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/28/AR2006042802181.html

Now I guess that since the World trade center attacks in 93 and the 2001 were 8 years apart, Then Clinton was a genius because so far Bush has only stopped domestic attacks for 6 years.

Your little "fact" proves nothing.