Mr. Aref better keep his infidel suit pressed, he and his buddy Mohammad Hossain are going to trial:
U.S. District Judge Thomas McAvoy said there was sufficient evidence for a trial. He also refused to grant separate trials for the men, who have pleaded not guilty.
Aref, 35, a native of northern Iraq's Kurdish area, immigrated to the United States with his family in 1999. Hossain, 50, a native of Bangladesh who owns an Albany pizzeria, is a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Prosecutors maintained that they were willing participants in criminal activity, while the defense argued Monday that the men were entrapped.
The FBI informant allegedly told the men that some $50,000 they held for him was from the sale of a missile that would be used to kill a Pakistani diplomat in New York City. The men say they never believed the business deal was part of a terrorist plot.
If convicted of all charges, Aref faces up to 470 years in prison and $7.25 million in fines while Hossain faces 450 years in prison and $6.75 million in fines. Aref remains in jail awaiting trial. Hossain is free on bail and declined to comment leaving court.
They are accused of attempting to provide support to Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based group listed by the federal government as a terrorist organization.
Of the two suspects, Hossain is free, but Aref remains jailed. The local FOX News affiliate carried an interview Aref's attorney gave with local news. He gave the usual boo-hooing account of how terrible it is in jail for his client, whined about how much of the evidence is still classified, and hinted that it may be a long time before the case goes to trial.
The most entertaining aspect of this -- or any of these trials, really -- is the marked transformation of the suspects' appearance from "good" Muslims with long beards, skull caps, and flowing robes into respectable looking infidels, suits, hair gel, etc.
There's more coverage here, here, and here (with an excellent video archive).
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