Jury convicts Georgia man of aiding terrorist groups; he sent videos of US landmarks abroad

August 12th, 2009 Jury deliberating again in Ga. terror video trialATLANTA — Jurors are deliberating for the second day to decide the fate of a 23-year-old man charged with aiding terror groups abroad.

August 12th, 2009 Georgia man convicted of aiding terror groupsATLANTA — A 23-year-old Georgia man was convicted Wednesday of aiding terrorist groups by sending videotapes of U.S. landmarks overseas and plotting to support "violent jihad" after a federal jury rejected his arguments that it was empty talk.

August 12th, 2009 Jury deliberating in Ga. terrorism trialATLANTA — Jurors in Atlanta will be heading back to resume deliberating the fate of a 23-year-old man charged with aiding terrorist groups.

August 11th, 2009 Ga. suspect denies videos were to aid terroristsATLANTA — A 23-year-old accused of using a video camera to scout national landmarks for terror attacks told jurors Tuesday that he never helped terrorists and said comments he made in jihadist online forums were harmless chatter. Ehsanul Islam Sadequee, who's representing himself during his trial on charges of supporting overseas terrorists, said during closing arguments that video shot during a trip with a friend to Washington was "amateurish and useless." "We were immature young guys who had imaginations running wild," said Ehsanul Islam Sadequee, who faces up to 60 years in prison.

August 10th, 2009 Ga. terrorism defendant to call on family at trialATLANTA —The trial of a 23-year-old man charged with aiding terror groups abroad is expected to continue in Atlanta as the defendant calls relatives to testify in his defense. Ehsanul Islam Sadequee (Sah-DEE-kee) is charged with sending homemade videos of Washington-area landmarks to overseas terrorists.

August 6th, 2009 Key witness: Terror suspect discussed attacksATLANTA — The suspected cohort of a 23-year-old man Georgia man charged with helping overseas terror groups says the two discussed attacks on American oil tanks and refineries. Syed Haris Ahmed said Wednesday at a federal trial in Atlanta that he and Ehsanul Islam Sadequee (EH'-suh-nool sah-DEE'-kee) discussed the potential of an attack to disrupt the economy.

August 5th, 2009 Key witness to testify in Ga. terror trialATLANTA — The alleged associate of a 23-year-old man charged with aiding terror groups is expected to take the witness stand.

August 4th, 2009 Ga. terror suspect calls jihad remark 'empty talk'ATLANTA — A 23-year-old man charged with aiding overseas terror groups says at his trial that his online chatter about joining a jihad was "empty talk." Ehsanul Islam Sadequee (EH'-suh-nool sah-DEE'-kee) made a sometimes rambling, 14-minute opening statement Tuesday at his federal trial in Atlanta. He decided this week to represent himself.

August 4th, 2009 Ga. terror suspect: Jihad chatter was 'empty talk'ATLANTA — A 23-year-old man representing himself in court on charges of aiding overseas terror groups said in his opening statement Tuesday that his online remarks about joining a jihad were "empty talk." Ehsanul Islam Sadequee seemed nervous as he approached the podium at the center of the courtroom. He opened with a quick prayer, then told the jury he usually goes by the nickname Shifa, which means "cure." Only then did he launch into the heart of his defense, saying his online talk did not amount to anything.

August 1st, 2009 Jury trial, not judge for 2nd Ga. terror suspectATLANTA — Choppy homemade videos, a mysterious trek to Bangladesh and ties to a convicted Balkan terrorist are at the center of a federal case against a 23-year-old accused of supporting terrorism.

June 10th, 2009 Judge's verdict for Ga. terror suspect expectedATLANTA — A federal judge is soon expected to announce his verdict in the case of a former Georgia Tech student charged with plotting to aid a terrorist group.

June 10th, 2009 Ex-Ga. Tech student convicted of video terror plotATLANTA — Syed Haris Ahmed's videos of Washington, D.C. landmarks didn't represent an imminent threat to the U.S., but prosecutors said his conviction Wednesday for supporting terrorism exemplifies a strategy of snuffing out potential plots in their earliest stages.

June 9th, 2009 Verdict for terror suspect set for WednesdayATLANTA — A federal judge will soon decide the fate of a former Georgia Tech student charged with plotting to aid a terrorist group. Syed Haris Ahmed could face up to 15 years in prison on charges that he was part of a conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism in the U.S.

June 4th, 2009 Terror suspect quotes Quran in closing argumentATLANTA — A former Georgia Tech student charged with plotting to help terrorist groups turned the closing arguments in his federal trial on Thursday into a bewildering lesson on Islamic principles amid stunned courtroom observers. Syed Haris Ahmed, 24, had waived his right to a jury trial so he could deliver closing arguments and warned last month he would use his time to focus on the "message of Islam." Even so, the judge, prosecutors and even his defense attorney seemed unprepared: He read nine verses of the Quran in Arabic and never directly addressed the charges that could land him 15 years in federal prison.

June 1st, 2009 Prosecutors: College student was budding terroristATLANTA — The videos are choppy and grainy, and some are just a few seconds long. Many were shot through an open window, and the herky-jerky technique was, at best, headache-inducing.