Mar 27, 2008 8:32 am US/Eastern
Closing Arguments Continue For "Liberty City 6"
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Closing arguments continue Thursday in the retrial of six of the so called "Liberty City 7."
Prosecutors claim the Miami area men were plotting to bomb the Sears Tower in Chicago and several federal offices around the country including the FBI office in Miami.
Their first trial ended last December in a hung jury for six suspects and the acquittal of a seventh. He now faces deportation to Haiti.
During the retrial, prosecutors centered their arguments on loyalty pledges the men allegedly signed to al Qaeda and video tapes they made of several federal buildings in downtown Miami. The prosecution's star witness, Elie Assad - a paid informant, testified that the group was committed to carrying out the attacks and the FBI did not entrap them. Assad said after a series of meetings with alleged ringleader Batiste, he had no doubt the group planned to move forward with their plans.
Defense attorneys have countered that Narseal Batiste, the group's leader, only went along with the talk of terrorist plots so to con $50-thousand out of Assad who said the money would be coming from Osama Bin Laden. There's no evidence the six men ever acquired explosives, blueprints or other items needed for an attack.
If convicted on the four terrorism related charges, the six men face up to 70 years in prison.
(© 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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.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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