Jury Convicts Padilla

Michael C. Moynihan | August 16, 2007

CNN is reporting that former "enemy combatant" Jose Padilla was found guilty of conspiracy to support terrorism:

The verdict came after less than two days of deliberations, according to a U.S. District Court official.

Padilla and two co-defendants were convicted on all counts.
Padilla pleaded not guilty. At his trial, defense attorneys argued Padilla went overseas only to study Islam.

During the trial, prosecutors played more than 70 intercepted phone calls among the defendants for jurors, including seven that featured Padilla, 36. He is a Brooklyn-born convert to Islam originally arrested as a suspect in a "dirty bomb" plot.

FBI agent John Kavanaugh testified that the calls were made in code, which Padilla used to discuss traveling overseas to fight with Islamic militants, along with side trips to Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan.

In closing arguments, Padilla's lawyers argued he never spoke in code. His voice is heard on only seven of 300,000 taped conversations.

Full story here.

Matt Welch on Padilla here.