Prosecutor mocks NY terrorism defendant saying he's `quite a patriot'

[Khephra]

NEW YORK -- Defense lawyers demanded a mistrial Thursday in a terrorism trial after a prosecutor mocked a U.S. postal worker's claim that he tried to protect the United States, telling him, "You're quite a patriot."

U.S. District Judge John Koeltl immediately warned the jury in Manhattan to disregard the comment by Christopher Morvillo, an assistant U.S. attorney who had spent the week questioning the postal worker, Ahmed Sattar.

When the jury had left the courtroom, defense lawyer Michael Tigar stood and demanded that his client, civil rights lawyer Lynne Stewart, be given a new trial separate from Sattar because of Morvillo's comment.

Lawyers for Sattar and a third defendant, Arabic interpreter Mohamed Yousry, joined Tigar's request for a mistrial, which was promptly rejected by the judge.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--terrortrial1216dec16,0,4442858.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire