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Lindh Ordered To Remain In Custody Pending Trial
Thursday, February 7, 2002
Islam Online
& News Agencies

With additional reporting by S.M. Khalid



Brosnahan also criticized U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft for his comments Tuesday when he announced Lindh's indictment. Ashcroft "violated the usual decorum employed by prosecutors across the country," Brosnahan said. Ashcroft said Tuesday, among other things, that "Americans who love their country do not dedicate themselves to killing Americans."

WASHINGTON
A U.S. federal judge ordered John Walker Lindh held in custody pending his trial on charges of aiding the Taliban and Al-Qaeda and conspiring to kill Americans in Afghanistan.

Lindh's attorneys had asked that their client be released to his parents on bail.

"While it has been stated . . . that the defendant is a loyal American, the evidence before the court belies that," U.S. Magistrate W. Curtis Sewell told a packed Arlington, Virginia, courtroom. "If released, he would probably disappear. He poses a danger for the community."

In a brief hearing, federal prosecutors described the 20-year-old Lindh as a "dangerous terrorist."

"Lindh is a committed terrorist who not only talked the talk but walked the walk," Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy I. Bellows told the courtroom. "He carried grenades. He carried shoulder weapons. He fought on the front lines with what he called his Al-Qaeda brothers. He can only be viewed as the most dangerous sort of person."

Earlier this week, a grand jury returned a 10-count indictment against Lindh, who was captured in Afghanistan by U.S.-led forces in November 2001. If convicted, Lindh could be sentenced to several life terms.
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