Oct 20, 2008 11:37 am US/Eastern
Opening Statements Start In Fort Dix Terror Trial
CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) ―
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Six men face charges for allegedly plotting to kill soldiers at Fort Dix.
William Thomas Cain/Getty Images
Al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden "inspired" five New Jersey men to plan an attack on the Army's Fort Dix, a prosecutor said Monday during opening statements in the terrorism trial.
The government has presented the case as one of the most frightening examples of homegrown terrorism since the Sept. 11 attacks.
Authorities say that in 2006 and 2007, the men turned paintball games into terrorist training sessions and met at places like Dunkin' Donuts to discuss killing soldiers on the Army installation in New Jersey. No attack was carried out.
"Their motive was to defend Islam. Their inspiration was Al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden. Their intent was to kill members of the United States armed services," Deputy U.S. Attorney William Fitzpatrick told the jury of eight women and four men.
Fitzpatrick said the jury would see jihadist videos that the defendants watched and would learn many details of the alleged plot, including assertions by the government that one the men went on reconnaissance missions at Fort Dix and other military installations.
The men, all foreign-born Muslims in their 20s, are charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and weapons offenses.
Their lawyers are expected to question the role of two paid government informants who made hundreds of hours of secret recordings in the case.
Fitzpatrick tried to hedge against such criticism on Monday.
He said the FBI had to find people who would have credibility with aspiring terrorists; one of the informants was interested in citizenship and the other was interested in money, he said.
The trial is expected to last into December.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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