Legal Commentary

DOJ Touts Success of Criminal Terror Cases

By Jeralyn

The Department of Justice today issued a "fact sheet" today, outlining some of its successes using cooperating defendants and the criminal justice system against terror suspects. I think it is in response to critics who have suggested that Mirandizing terror suspects and providing criminal trials is dangerous. Two of the current examples provided:

• David Headley, arrested in 2009 and charged in connection with a plot to bomb a Danish newspaper and his alleged role in the November 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, has provided extremely valuable intelligence regarding those attacks, the terrorist organization Lashkar y Tayyiba, and Pakistan-based terrorist leaders.

• Adis Medunjanin, an alleged associate of Najibullah Zazi, was taken into custody in January 2010, and, after waiving his Miranda rights, provided detailed information to the FBI about terrorist-related activities of himself and others in the United States and Pakistan. He has been charged with conspiring to kill U.S. nationals overseas and receiving military-type training from al-Qaeda.

[More...]

It also references current plots to attack the U.S. and Europe.

Other law enforcement cooperators are currently providing important intelligence regarding terrorist activity from East Africa to South Asia and regarding plots to attack the United States and Europe.

Terror cases are on the rise:

Today, there are more than 300 international or domestic terrorists incarcerated in U.S. federal prison facilities. Events over the past year demonstrate the continuing value of federal courts in combating terrorism. In 2009, there were more defendants charged with terrorism violations in federal court than in any year since 9/11.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on January 26, 2010 (boomark / email).