Bail on hold for suspect in planned terror attack

Chicago Tribune - December 3, 2009

Dec. 3--One of two Chicago men charged in a terrorist plot to attack a Danish newspaper over cartoons that enraged the Muslim world is a family man who never has voiced extremist or violent views, his brother-in-law and two acquaintances testified Wednesday in federal court.

The testimony came in a hearing at which a judge postponed a decision on whether Tahawwur Hussain Rana can be bailed out while awaiting trial on charges of providing material support to terrorism.

Rana is accused of supporting co-defendant David Coleman Headley's efforts to scout out Danish targets in retaliation for the cartoonsthat appeared in the Jyllands-Posten newspaper.

His brother-in-law, Athar Akhtar, said he never had known Rana to espouse violence in the 20 years he has known him.

"He's very good and sincere, and he always gives very good advice," Akhtar said.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan held off on deciding if Rana will remain in custody so she can review prosecution evidence, including a five-hour statement he gave to authorities after his arrest in October.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Collins told Nolan that Rana communicated with Headley in coded e-mails and that the witnesses who testified on his behalf Wednesday didn't really know him.

"They just don't know this guy the way the evidence reveals him to be," Collins said.

Prosecutors have said Rana was very close to Headley, who had been trained in part by the Pakistani terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

As recently as Sept. 7, the men allegedly discussed other "targets," Collins said.

"The word 'target' is that man's word," said Collins, pointing at Rana as he sat at the defense table.

Rana's lawyer, Patrick Blegen, contended that Rana was duped by Headley, who allegedly traveled overseas under the guise of being a representative of Rana's Immigration business.

Blegen disputed the strength of the government's evidence against Rana and said that his client denied knowing Headley used his business as a front for his travels to Denmark and elsewhere.

Blegen also pointed to the testimony of another witness, Mohammad Arshad Mirza, a local eye doctor, who said Rana belongs to the Iqbal Society, which ascribes to the beliefs of a peaceful Pakistani philosopher and poet who urged Muslims to meet their goals through education.

Authorities also are investigating Rana and Headley for links to last year's massive terror attack in Mumbai that left scores dead.

Their alleged roles in that attack never were raised by prosecutors during the hearing Wednesday.

jcoen@tribune.com

-----

To see more of the Chicago Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.chicagotribune.com.

Copyright (c) 2009, Chicago Tribune

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

SaudiArabia:4090,