. . . we get a picture of Mohamed as being a devoted American with little or no interest in being with his "al-Qaeda" brothers.
First of all why did he volutarily go to trial?
<SNIP>
Shortly after bombs exploded outside the American Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, last August, killing more than 200 people and wounding more than 1,000, Federal prosecutors in Manhattan subpoenaed Mohamed to testify before a grand jury.
He flew to New York in September, made his appearance, and was arrested. Officials believe he was on his way to the Middle East.
<SNIP>
http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/alimo.htmWe also must note that neither he nor anyone else that day killed themselves in the bombings. But if he did care about his life, why would he respond to a subpoena? Why turn himself in?
Then, why plead guilty? As we have seen, it has been mighty hard for our government to convict anyone of ANYTHING regarding terrorism.
<SNIP>
However, just months before their trial was to begin in Federal District Court in Manhattan on October 20, 2000, Mohamed pled guilty to five counts of conspiracy to kill nationals of the United States and officers or employees of the U.S. government on account of their official duties, to murder and kidnap, and to destroy U.S. property.
In his plea before Judge Leonard Sand, Mohamed linked Usama bin Laden with the embassy bombings and said he worked with El Hage and others indicted in the bomb plot.
Mohamed, 48, is a former Egyptian intelligence officer who became a United States citizen and a U.S. Army sergeant assigned to a Special Forces unit at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
<SNIP>
Observers had expected Mohamed to be a key government witness against the four defendants during the trial, which began in January 2001. However, while his name was mentioned during testimony on contacts with El Hage and documents taken from his California home were entered into evidence, the former surveillance instructor never took the stand.
Mohamed's plea agreement with the government remains secret.
<SNIP>
http://usinfo.state.gov/is/Archive_Index/Ali_Mohamed.htmlNot only is his plea agreement secret, so was his arrest:
<SNIP>
After Mr. Mohamed was taken into custody on Sept. 10, 1998, the office of the United States attorney, Mary Jo White, with Mr. Mohamed's consent, took the unusual step of keeping his arrest secret for eight months while it tried to negotiate a deal with him.
<SNIP>
http://www.crimelynx.com/terror.htmlWas Mohamed one of the boys? No. He avoided them like the plague.
<SNIP>
In May 1999, when the plea bargaining talks broke down, Mr. Mohamed was publicly indicted and joined his five co-defendants in the public arraignments and hearings. But he still seemed like an outsider in their midst. When teams of defense lawyers in the broad terrorism case visited the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Lower Manhattan for group strategy meetings with their clients, the other five would show up.
Mr. Mohamed stayed in his cell.
When defense lawyers complained that the conditions of solitary confinement for their clients were too harsh, five defendants were allowed to take turns as cellmates.
Mr. Mohamed remained in solitary confinement.
In June 1999, one defendant leapt out of his chair in the courtroom and charged toward Judge Sand, while another defendant screamed "Allahu akbar," Arabic for "God is great." While they were being subdued, Mr. Mohamed sat quietly in his chair, shaking his head and looking as if he wanted no part of what was going on.
<SNIP>
http://www.crimelynx.com/terror.htmlI have to ask, if his arrest was secret and he spent his entire time in "solitary confinement", was he ever really in prison at all?