The Talk Show American

THE TALK SHOW AMERICAN: California man trained for jihad

Friday, February 17, 2006

California man trained for jihad

U.S. citizen charged with attending camps in Pakistan, lying to FBI

A man accused of attending an al-Qaida training camp is a trained terrorist intent on attacking Americans, prosecutors alleged Thursday, but his attorney called him just a directionless young man prone to wild storytelling.

In opening statements of Hamid Hayat's federal trial, prosecutors said the 23-year-old Lodi man visited the camp in Pakistan in 2003, then returned to his family's home in California farm country and awaited information about potential terrorist targets.

"Hamid Hayat talked about jihad before he even left the United States. He talked about acts of violence. He talked about training camps. He received weapons training while he was there," prosecutor Laura Ferris said.

Hayat admitted going twice to a terrorist camp and returning to the United States, where he was "waiting for orders," she said.

Ferris did not mention any specific targets or possible motives in her opening statement.

Hayat, who was born in the United States, is charged with supporting terrorists by attending the camp, and with lying about it to the FBI. He faces up to 39 years in prison if convicted.

Hamid Hayat's attorney, Wazhma Mojaddidi, said the government has no proof that her client attended a terrorist camp, despite information agents received from a paid informant.

She said Hayat was prone to exaggeration and "has made statements that are just simply not true." His statements to the FBI will expose contradictions and inaccuracies, she said.

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