mtlinscomb
Beach Fanatic
Dallas terror suspect indicted by federal grand jury | News | Star-Telegram#
DALLAS ? A Jordanian teen accused of trying to blow up a Dallas skyscraper has been indicted on two terrorism-related charges, and he could get a life sentence if convicted of either.
A federal grand jury heard the government?s evidence against Hosam "Sam" Smadi, 19, and indicted him on one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and one count of bombing a place of public use.
The indictment was issued Wednesday and made public Thursday.
Smadi is expected to make his initial appearance on the charges before a U.S. magistrate judge in Dallas next week, said Kathy Colvin, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney?s office in Dallas.
Richard Anderson of the federal public defender?s office in Dallas, who is representing Smadi with Fort Worth lawyer Peter Fleury, said the filing of the official charges allows the lawyers to begin preparing their defense.
"The government is not required to give us the material that they have accumulated during their investigation until the return of the indictment," Anderson said.
"Now we can spend some time going over the discovery material and doing our independent investigation and consulting with our client. We probably really won?t have any other comment until after we have done our due diligence."
Smadi, who was in the country illegally, remains in the federal detention center in Seagoville.
The four-page indictment accuses Smadi of trying to use a weapon of mass destruction by activating a timer connected to a car bomb in the garage under Fountain Place, a 60-story office building at 1445 Ross Ave. downtown.
The second count charges him with bombing a place of public use, stemming from accusations that he delivered, discharged and detonated the explosive device after leaving it in the parking garage.
Undercover FBI employees, posing as members of an al Qaeda sleeper cell, gave Smadi the device, which was inert and contained no explosive materials, according to an affidavit.
A federal agent testified Monday that Smadi attracted the FBI?s attention in January after he made postings on an extremist Web site indicating that he was in the country and wanted to carry out a terrorist act on U.S. soil but lacked the tools.
In the months before his arrest, Smadi was living and working in the Ellis County town of Italy, south of Dallas. Two days before the alleged bombing attempt, Smadi moved out of his apartment and into a mobile home in a remote part of Hill County. Smadi?s case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn of the Northern District of Texas.
===================================================
Job well done FBI!!!
DALLAS ? A Jordanian teen accused of trying to blow up a Dallas skyscraper has been indicted on two terrorism-related charges, and he could get a life sentence if convicted of either.
A federal grand jury heard the government?s evidence against Hosam "Sam" Smadi, 19, and indicted him on one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and one count of bombing a place of public use.
The indictment was issued Wednesday and made public Thursday.
Smadi is expected to make his initial appearance on the charges before a U.S. magistrate judge in Dallas next week, said Kathy Colvin, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney?s office in Dallas.
Richard Anderson of the federal public defender?s office in Dallas, who is representing Smadi with Fort Worth lawyer Peter Fleury, said the filing of the official charges allows the lawyers to begin preparing their defense.
"The government is not required to give us the material that they have accumulated during their investigation until the return of the indictment," Anderson said.
"Now we can spend some time going over the discovery material and doing our independent investigation and consulting with our client. We probably really won?t have any other comment until after we have done our due diligence."
Smadi, who was in the country illegally, remains in the federal detention center in Seagoville.
The four-page indictment accuses Smadi of trying to use a weapon of mass destruction by activating a timer connected to a car bomb in the garage under Fountain Place, a 60-story office building at 1445 Ross Ave. downtown.
The second count charges him with bombing a place of public use, stemming from accusations that he delivered, discharged and detonated the explosive device after leaving it in the parking garage.
Undercover FBI employees, posing as members of an al Qaeda sleeper cell, gave Smadi the device, which was inert and contained no explosive materials, according to an affidavit.
A federal agent testified Monday that Smadi attracted the FBI?s attention in January after he made postings on an extremist Web site indicating that he was in the country and wanted to carry out a terrorist act on U.S. soil but lacked the tools.
In the months before his arrest, Smadi was living and working in the Ellis County town of Italy, south of Dallas. Two days before the alleged bombing attempt, Smadi moved out of his apartment and into a mobile home in a remote part of Hill County. Smadi?s case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn of the Northern District of Texas.
===================================================
Job well done FBI!!!