Holy crap, a court with balls.
A U.S. appeals court on Friday upheld the conviction of an American citizen for plotting to assassinate President George W. Bush and conspiring with al Qaeda, rejecting his claims that he had been tortured into confessing by the Saudi police.
As part of its ruling, the appeals court based in Richmond, Virginia, overturned Ahmed Abu Ali’s 30-year prison sentence on the grounds it was unreasonably lenient and sent the case back for resentencing.
“In this case, we are satisfied that Abu Ali received a fair trial, though not a perfect one, and that the criminal justice system performed those functions which the Constitution envisioned for it,” the three-judge panel concluded.
Abu Ali’s lawyers argued he had been tortured into confessing while he was held in Saudi Arabia, but the appeals court disagreed and ruled his statements were voluntary.
Abu Ali, who was born in Texas and lived in the Washington suburb of Falls Church, Virginia, was arrested in June 2003 while studying at a Saudi university and was held in Saudi custody for 20 months before being returned to the United States after being indicted.
In Saudi Arabia, he signed confessions and made statements admitting to the plot against Bush and to having ties to an al Qaeda cell.
……The appeals court agreed with the trial judge’s finding that Abu Ali was not tortured, abused, threatened, held in cruel conditions or subjected to coercive interrogations.
……”Abu Ali was part of a dangerous al Qaeda cell that sought to carry out attacks against — and within — the United States, and we are pleased that the appellate court affirmed this important conviction on every count,” said U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg.
……”He joined an al Qaeda terrorist cell in Saudi Arabia in order to engage in jihad against the United States. He plotted to assassinate the president of the United States and other officials, to hijack and destroy American planes and to attack nuclear power stations in the United States,” the court said.
Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN0643022620080606?sp=true
What makes this all the more infuriating is that not only does our “friend” Saudi Arabia breed and fund terrorists, but this suckwad went there for the purpose of completing his ‘transformation’ to Islam.
The arrest of Abu Ali in Saudi Arabia was nothing less than a dog and pony camel show.
paratrooper,
Well, at least until the next post…..Til then, I’ll still keep my ammo dry. 😉
SFC MAC
“CEASE FIRE” NOUGH SAID.
paratrooper,
Not all of my posts contain it, but I do tend to pepper my language with Patton-styled profanity when I feel it’s appropriate, especially when dealing with or writing about people who don’t deserve even a modicum of respect. I have written columns for various publications, and depending on the genre, I modify accordingly. I’m not “all women”. I’m blunt, to the point, and I don’t mince words when it comes to articulating my thoughts, principles, and beliefs. Up until the day I retired from the Army, there were officers, in particular, who knew that I would tell them what they needed to hear. Leadership as an NCO involves sticking by your guns. I not only stick by mine, I draw and fire when necessary.
Feel free to comment on any post on my blog; just remember that my commentaries are not always tailored for the faint hearted.
SFC MAC
by the way I don’t disagree with what you say on your weblog . I just think as a woman in the military you have a chance to show some leadership for woman not in the military.All woman don’t use profanity.
boy you are really pickey. I misspelled least. Iam human I make mistakes. you are very clever,I got a chuckel ou of “getting my chute tangled in a “mae west”.:-)
paratrooper,
Instead of getting your chute all tangled in a “Mae West” over “back-patting”, military credentials, and my colorful descriptions of Islamic toads, why don’t you offer some constructive input to the subject I posted?
Otherwise, find something else that isn’t the “leased” (sic) of your worries.
Cheers,
SFC MAC
belive me you are the leased of my worries. Why don’t you stop patting your self on the back,do you think you are the only one to ever fight for this country??
paratrooper,
Lets see: The Islamofascists use brutal methods in their quest for a world Caliphate, they behead, they blow innocent people to bits, they’re basically the scum of the earth, but you’re pissed about my language.
And you were in the Army?????
Some people do not deserve polite decorum, and muslim terrorists certainly don’t.
I won’t recant nor will I apologize for using blunt terms to describe them. Got a problem with that? Then don’t read my blog.
READ: http://sfcmac.wordpress.com/about/
That sums up my reasons.
Do yourself a favor and find something really important to worry about.
Cheers,
SFC MAC
good post. for a woman you have a mouth like a longshoreman, I hope you don’t have kids that are old enough to read.