P
Patriot Games
Guest
http://www.newsmax.com/us/fort_dix_plot/2008/01/15/64653.html
New Charges Added in Fort Dix Plot Case
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
HADDONFIELD, N.J. -- A group of men accused of planning an attack on Fort
Dix face additional charges, including attempted murder, after a grand jury
concluded there was evidence the men tried to kill uniformed members of the
military.
In a federal indictment handed up Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Camden,
the grand jury does not spell out why the attempted murder charges were
added. Greg Reinert, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, declined to
elaborate on it.
Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer, Serdar Tatar and brothers Dritan, Shain and Eljvir
Duka were arrested last May and charged with conspiracy to attack the
military base. The men _ foreign-born Muslims who lived much of their lives
in the New Jersey suburbs of Philadelphia _ have denied the allegations.
The government has said the men had practiced firing weapons and arranged to
buy guns to carry out an attack on the base. They did not carry out an
actual raid.
Michael Huff, lawyer for Dritan Duka, said, "If your client is innocent of
the charges, it doesn't matter what he is charged with."
Rocco C. Cipparone Jr., an attorney for Shnewer, said he expected the new
charges.
Troy A. Archie, lawyer for Eljvir Duka, said he doubted the new charges
would delay the trial further because there was no additional evidence
related to those charges.
The trial is scheduled to begin March 24.
In addition to the conspiracy charges all five face, the Duka brothers were
also charged with possession of weapons by illegal aliens. Under Tuesday's
amended indictment, they and Shnewer were additionally charged with
possession of a firearm for an illegal act. Tatar doesn't face weapons
charges.
The indictment also says that Shnewer conducted surveillance at McGuire Air
Force Base besides several other military installations the government had
already said he scouted, including Fort Dix and Dover Air Force Base in
Delaware.
Defense attorneys said their clients would likely be arraigned or formally
told of the new charges at a status conference in court on Friday.
Richard Sparaco, lawyer for Serdar Tatar, had no immediate comment on the
amended indictment. An after-hours message left for Michael E. Riley, lawyer
for Shain Duka, was not immediately returned.
New Charges Added in Fort Dix Plot Case
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
HADDONFIELD, N.J. -- A group of men accused of planning an attack on Fort
Dix face additional charges, including attempted murder, after a grand jury
concluded there was evidence the men tried to kill uniformed members of the
military.
In a federal indictment handed up Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Camden,
the grand jury does not spell out why the attempted murder charges were
added. Greg Reinert, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, declined to
elaborate on it.
Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer, Serdar Tatar and brothers Dritan, Shain and Eljvir
Duka were arrested last May and charged with conspiracy to attack the
military base. The men _ foreign-born Muslims who lived much of their lives
in the New Jersey suburbs of Philadelphia _ have denied the allegations.
The government has said the men had practiced firing weapons and arranged to
buy guns to carry out an attack on the base. They did not carry out an
actual raid.
Michael Huff, lawyer for Dritan Duka, said, "If your client is innocent of
the charges, it doesn't matter what he is charged with."
Rocco C. Cipparone Jr., an attorney for Shnewer, said he expected the new
charges.
Troy A. Archie, lawyer for Eljvir Duka, said he doubted the new charges
would delay the trial further because there was no additional evidence
related to those charges.
The trial is scheduled to begin March 24.
In addition to the conspiracy charges all five face, the Duka brothers were
also charged with possession of weapons by illegal aliens. Under Tuesday's
amended indictment, they and Shnewer were additionally charged with
possession of a firearm for an illegal act. Tatar doesn't face weapons
charges.
The indictment also says that Shnewer conducted surveillance at McGuire Air
Force Base besides several other military installations the government had
already said he scouted, including Fort Dix and Dover Air Force Base in
Delaware.
Defense attorneys said their clients would likely be arraigned or formally
told of the new charges at a status conference in court on Friday.
Richard Sparaco, lawyer for Serdar Tatar, had no immediate comment on the
amended indictment. An after-hours message left for Michael E. Riley, lawyer
for Shain Duka, was not immediately returned.
