US: Don't drop jihad references from charges

[flashl]

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. (AP) -- Federal prosecutors say they should not be forced to drop references to al-Qaida and jihad from the indictment of five men accused of plotting to attack soldiers on Fort Dix.

Lawyers for the men last month asked a judge in U.S. District Court in Camden to delete such language, saying it was ''inflammatory'' and was included in earlier court filings to incite prejudice against the defendants.

In a response filed Friday, government lawyers said the terms in question are central to the case, arguing that jihadist principles motivated the defendants.

...

The men, all foreign-born Muslims in their 20s, have spent much of their lives in the Philadelphia area.

They could face life in prison if they are convicted on all charges. A trial is scheduled to start in October.

NY Times

Why not? It follows reasoning in other areas of 'law'. For instance, the 'War on Drugs', prosecutor's easy method to mass incarceration is dwindling, but, 'we' are gearing up the 'Anti-Gang' school-to-prison pipeline across the country. Tennis shoes have been use as gang-related weapons to warrant life sentences.

If the mention and use of 'gang related' is working famously for prosecutors, then, surely 'jihadist' will work too.