Padilla charged with planning "violent jihad."

[BurtWorm]

Interesting timing. Now watch Bush's numbers turn around. :sarcasm:

PS: Would he get a lesser charge for planning nonviolent jihad?


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4460566.stm

US citizen faces terror charges

Jose Padilla, a US citizen held without charge for more than three years as an enemy combatant, has been charged with planning to undertake "violent jihad".

Mr Padilla, 35, was arrested in Chicago in May 2002 on suspicion of planning to explode a radioactive "dirty bomb".

The indictment does not mention that allegation, accusing him and four other people of conspiracy to kidnap, murder and maim US citizens overseas.

The government had been resisting calls to try Mr Padilla in civilian courts.

The indictment avoids a Supreme Court battle over how long the government could hold a US citizen without charges....

[EFerrari]

1. This government has lost the moral authority to charge anyone

with anything.

[mzmolly]

2. Very interesting timing.

!@#%^

[leftchick]

3. someone actually suggested this has to do with the patriot act renewal

someone on TV. I was shocked they said it.

[AlCzervik]

4. well the discovery phase should be very interesting, no mention of that

"Dirty bomb" which imo means, they got nothing.

[BurtWorm]

5. Of course they got nothing.

I wonder if they're just dumping him in the system to get rid of him as a problem for the administration in particular. Now Padilla is the Justice Department's problem.

[AlCzervik]

9. i think they need to indict someone, have anyone been indicted yet or

found guilty that resided in GITMO? They need to justify their "War on Terra""

[BurtWorm]

15. I actually do think they wanted to get rid of this problem before it hit

the SC. Roberts was going to have to recuse himself, because he was on the appelate court that overruled the lower one. They probably did not want to get hit with another, explosive major loss. This way, they put off any more trouble Padilla can cost them--unless, now that he's just a federal indictee, he's suddenly able to talk to the media. What if he has a story to tell? This could be a disaster for them they weren't counting on.

[truebrit71]

13. Yup. This whole case was about to collapse...

If they had anything on him they would have charged him, found him guilty and paraded him around as a sign that the PATRIOT Act works, and must be extended...

[TomInTib]

6. When did "violent jihad" become a U S legal term?

Patriot Act?

And can one plan jihad all by one's self?

Are "Dirty Thoughts" next?

[Roland99]

7. What's the statute for Violent Jihad?

[BurtWorm]

8. 11:30 this morning?

:shrug:

Actually the charges are technically plotting to maim and kill people, I think.

[underpants]

10. About the same time it made since to use a "dirty bomb"

to blow something up.

As discussed here (#8)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1941852

[Ready4Change]

11. US Citizen, held 3+ years without being charged.

Ask yourself what your wife or husband, what your kids, what your other relatives here in the US would think, had you been held for more than THREE YEARS without even being charged with a crime?

Yet, this story will be below the fold, and the purely unconstitutional nature of his imprisonment for 3+ years will NOT be the headline.

And you know what? I'd have zero problems with this if he'd been charged on day one. I'd be willing to trust the US judicial system to try him fairly.

But held this long with no charge? Sorry. It taints the whole process with illegitimacy.

It taints our entire nation.

It taints our news, which doesn't report the WHOLE story.

It taints our judicial system, which has allowed this travesty.

It taints Congress, to have not raised a finger in protest over this treatment of a US citizen.

And it taints this Administration, for driving this spike into the heart of our Republic.

[BurtWorm]

16. Will they be able to keep the media away from him?

You'd think journalists would be jumping all over each other to talk to him.

[flordehinojos]

12. at this time point in time bushcoes will do anything to maintain their

credibility--they may be charing the man and finding him guilty, even if they have to beef up the charges and the crime...i don't believe anything that comes from the bushcoes.

[MikeNY]

14. Shouldn't Padilla automatically win?

Considering he was locked in the basement of the Pentagon for 3 years without habeas? No matter how grevious a crime an American citizen is accused of committing, their Constitutional rights should still be paramount, no?