Advertising

The Seattle Times Company

NWjobs | NWautos | NWhomes | NWsource | Free Classifieds | seattletimes.com

The Seattle Times

Nation & World


Our network sites seattletimes.com | Advanced

Originally published Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Comments (0)     E-mail article     Print view

Justice Dept. drops "dirty bomb" claims

The U.S. Justice Department has withdrawn allegations made in federal court that tie Binyam Mohammed, a British resident held at the Guant...

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department has withdrawn allegations made in federal court that tie Binyam Mohammed, a British resident held at the Guantánamo Bay prison, to a plot to explode a radioactive "dirty bomb" in the United States, blow up apartment buildings and release cyanide gas in nightclubs.

Defense lawyers said the decision should force the Pentagon to drop charges of conspiracy and material support for terrorism against Mohammed, which were filed by military prosecutors in May. The charges, the lawyers said, are spurious and based on false confessions obtained through torture.

They said the Justice Department dropped key allegations to avoid having to turn over evidence of abuse. The agency did not respond to a request for comment.

The dirty-bomb allegation was also never pursued in the case of Mohammed's alleged co-conspirator, Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen initially declared an enemy combatant but convicted in federal court in August 2007 on a lesser charge of providing material support for terrorism. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison.

"There are no serious, hard charges against Mohammed," said Air Force Lt. Col. Yvonne Bradley, his military attorney. "The whole thing the government was hanging its hat on, pursuing Mr. Mohammed, was the dirty bomb."

The Pentagon's convening authority for military commissions examines each case assembled by prosecutors before deciding whether to refer it to a military court for trial.

Mohammed's case is "under review," said Joseph DellaVedova, a spokesman for the Office of Military Commissions.

The decision came after a federal judge ordered the government to turn over all available exculpatory evidence to Mohammed's attorneys, according to documents filed by government attorneys.

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company

More Nation & World headlines...

E-mail article Print view      Share:    Digg     Newsvine

Comments
No comments have been posted to this article. Start the conversation.

advertising

UPDATE - 09:38 PM
New General Motors expected to exit Chapter 11

Jobless claims indicate economy remains weak

Tough fight coming up in Afghanistan, Petraeus says in Seattle

UPDATE - 08:47 PM
Worst violence since US pullback hits Iraq

Afghan blast kills 25, half of them children

Advertising

Video

AP Video

Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech

Marketplace

 
Most read
Most commented
Most e-mailed
 
 
Advertising