Jan 3, 2008 2:55 pm US/Eastern
Liberty City 7 Lawyers: Deck Is Stacked Against Us
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Defense lawyers for six of the so called "Liberty City 7" claim there are signs the deck is being stacked against them for their second trial in Miami.
The first trial against the seven men, who are accused of plotting to bomb several federal offices across the country and the Sears Tower in Chicago, ended in a mistrial.
Defense attorneys claim the presiding judge's decision to keep jurors anonymous and partly sequestered could make the panel more likely to convict. Meanwhile, federal prosecutors say they plan to introduce
new evidence against the group's alleged ringleader, Narseal Batiste, which will portray him as a Muslim fanatic.
The defense has argued that this was a case of entrapment and that the group was enticed by a government snitch and went along only to con him out of money he promised would be coming from Osama Bin Laden.
During a hearing Thursday, the judge agreed to ask jurors two questions
about the tight security arrangements but would go no further. Jury selection begins Monday.
The seventh man, Lyglenson Lemorin, who was acquitted by the jury last month, is being held by immigration authorities in Georgia. He faces deportation to his native Haiti despite the innocent verdicts. He could also be the first to testify for the defense in the second trial.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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