Muslim cleric's lawyer testifies

NEW YORK -- A US lawyer accused of helping a radical Muslim cleric smuggle terrorist messages out of prison testified yesterday she believed she had lawfully told a reporter her client had dropped his support for a cease-fire by an Islamic group in Egypt.

The lawyer, Lynne Stewart, 65, known for representing unpopular, poor, and minority clients, is on trial on charges that she allowed imprisoned felon Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman to communicate with terrorists.

During cross-examination in Manhattan federal court, Stewart said she did not think reading her client's statement to a reporter was a ''message."

''To me a message is a secret communication. . . . This was done so openly, so above board," she said.

Stewart has denied any wrongdoing and maintains that she was doing her duty as a lawyer representing a client being held incommunicado. She could face 15 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charge against her, providing ''material support" to terrorists.

Abdel-Rahman, an Egyptian convicted in 1995 of conspiring to attack US targets, is serving a life sentence. Prosecutors say the plot included the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and plans to attack the United Nations as well as other landmarks.

Stewart is charged with lying to the government by signing and then violating agreements to abide by special prison restrictions aimed at stopping Abdel-Rahman from sending messages that could result in terrorism. The rules restricted the cleric's access to mail, the media, telephones, and visitors.