Terror conviction of ex-sailor partly tossed

[unhappycamper]

Terror conviction of ex-sailor partly tossed
By John Christoffersen - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Mar 4, 2009 20:51:35 EST

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A federal judge on Wednesday threw out a conviction against a former Navy sailor accused of passing along information about ship movements, dealing a post-mortem blow to a Bush administration that had praised the case as a success.

U.S. District Judge Mark Kravitz overturned last year’s conviction of Hassan Abu-Jihaad, of Phoenix, on a charge of providing material support to terrorists, citing the language of the law. He upheld his conviction for disclosing classified national defense information.

Abu-Jihaad was a signalman aboard the destroyer Benfold. He was accused of passing along information including the makeup of his Navy battle group and a drawing of the formation the group would use to pass through the dangerous Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf in April 2001.

The ship was not attacked.

Kravitz said that Abu-Jihaad received a fair trial and denied a motion for a new trial. But he said he was overturning one of the convictions “for reasons largely related to the language” of the law.


Rest of article at: http://navytimes.com/news/2009/03/ap_ex_sailor_conviction_030409/%2e