Reuters American Taliban Fighter to Remain in Jail ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Reuters) -- American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh,
described by a prosecutor as a ``committed terrorist'' who abandoned his
country, was ordered on Wednesday to remain imprisoned while awaiting
trial on charges of conspiring to kill Americans in Afghanistan. Magistrate Judge W. Curtis Sewell rejected a request to release the
20-year-old Californian, ruling he posed a risk of fleeing the country and
presented a danger to the community. As Lindh sat impassively at the defense table with his parents in the
packed courtroom, Sewell said the evidence belies the assertion made by
the defense that Lindh was a ''loyal American.'' Lindh is facing a 10-count indictment that accuses him of conspiring to
kill Americans, including civilians and military personnel, as well as
conspiring and aiding Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network and the Taliban
in Afghanistan. He faced the possibility of life in prison but the charges did not
carry the death penalty. Defense lawyer James Brosnahan argued Lindh should be released pending
trial on the grounds that he was not dangerous. ``This young man has never been in trouble,'' Brosnahan said during the
45-minute hearing. ``He doesn't drink. He doesn't take drugs.'' DEFENSE CALLS LINDH ``RELIGIOUS PERSON'' Brosnahan called Lindh, who converted to Islam as a teenager a
``religious person. He follows the teachings of the church he has
adopted.'' Prosecutor Randy Bellows replied that Lindh could not be trusted. ``He
went there (abroad), first ostensibly to study and became a terrorist.''
Bellows called Lindh a front-line soldier with his fellow al Qaeda members
and a ``committed terrorist.'' Bellows said Lindh expressed hostility toward the United States in
e-mails and letters to his family, and that he refused to come back to
this country, despite the entreaties of his parents. ``He just
disappeared,'' Bellows said. Another defense lawyer, George Harris, said there was no evidence that
Lindh took any action against U.S. civilians or U.S. military forces. Harris said Lindh has ``very strong ties'' to his family and to this
country'' and that Lindh ``had every intention'' of completing his studies
and then returning to the United States. The judge agreed with the prosecutor. Sewell said Lindh had no
``gainful employment'' except from a three-week stint as a warehouse
worker two years ago, has no assets and no ``social or economic
stability.'' INSUFFICIENT FAMILY TIES Sewell said there were insufficient family ties to warrant release of
Lindh to his parents. He said Lindh had no contact with his family from
June until his capture in early November. Among the charges are that he conspired to contribute services to al
Qaeda, contributed services to al Qaeda, conspired to supply services to
the Taliban and used and carried firearms and destructive devices in
crimes of violence. Other charges are conspiring to kill Americans abroad, engaging in
prohibited transactions with the deposed Taliban government that harbored
bin Laden and providing support to two terrorist groups, including al
Qaeda, which has been blamed by Washington for the Sept. 11 hijacked plane
attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. After the hearing, Brosnahan called on Attorney General John Ashcroft
to refrain from ``inappropriate'' comments about the case, saying Ashcroft
had ``violated the standards of the Department of Justice'' in comments
made announcing the indictments on Tuesday. Ashcroft said it was ``extraordinary'' to charge a U.S. citizen in this
case and added Lindh had ``allied himself with terrorists.'' Captured in the fall of Kunduz, Lindh was shot in the leg during a
bloody prison uprising outside the northern Afghan city of
Mazar-i-Sharif. Lindh was taken into custody by the U.S. military in Afghanistan in
early December and flown last month to the United States to stand
trial. Lindh will formally enter a plea to the charges at an arraignment
scheduled before U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis on Monday. His father has
proclaimed Lindh's innocence. A trial date could also be set at the Monday
hearing. Copyright © 2002. Reuters. All rights reserved. saved from url: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-attack-lindh.html
February 6, 2002
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