Trial of terror suspect to begin
American accused of conspiring to attack US sites
ATLANTA - Choppy homemade videos, a mysterious trek to Bangladesh, and ties to a convicted Balkan terrorist are at the center of a federal case against a 23year-old accused of supporting terrorism.
Ehsanul Islam Sadequee could face up to 60 years in prison on four charges that he conspired to help overseas terrorists wage “violent jihad’’ on America. Jury selection is to begin tomorrow, and the trial is expected to last at least a week.
Sadequee made a series of short videos of the US Capitol and other landmarks with a friend, Syed Ahmed, in April 2005. Prosecutors said the men were “casing’’ the landmarks.
The videos helped sway a federal judge in June to convict Ahmed, a 24-year-old former Georgia Tech student, who will be sentenced after Sadequee’s trial.
Sadequee’s trial is also expected to focus on other allegations, including claims he ventured to Bangladesh to try to meet with terrorists and sent encrypted videos of the American landmarks to overseas contacts.
Sadequee attorney Don Samuel would not discuss the case but said his client will be exonerated.
Investigators, meanwhile, acknowledge that the plots never came close to fruition.
Authorities intervened before it was too late, US Attorney David Nahmias has said.
Prosecutors have said Sadequee and Ahmed began preparing for their mission in late 2004, when they headed to a remote location in northwest Georgia armed with paintball guns for basic paramilitary training.
