Shoe Bomb Conspirator Testifies in Terrorism Trial

By KIRAN SURY

A British-born Al Qaeda member involved in the 2001 attempted airline shoe-bombing told jurors in the Manhattan federal trial of accused terrorist Abu Hamza al Masri, that he “felt honored to be chosen” to assist in the plot.

The witness, Saajid Badat, said via CCTV from the united Kingdom that he had planned the attack with 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and that at one point wore explosive shoes himself for a test run. He was cross-examined in person by American lawyers, who relayed his live testimony to the courtroom.

As Badat recounted his travels and terrorist training, nike cortez femmes defense attorney Jeremy Schneider highlighted inconsistencies in his testimony over time, at one point saying, “those untrue statements were fixed, later on, by you.”

Assistant U.S. attorney Ian McGinley played Badat a video of Hamza speaking and asked him questions about his encounters with the defendant. He sought to place Hamza at the same terrorist training camps that Badat attended.

Manhattan federal judge Katherine Forrest said that the vigor of the cross-examination suggested that the use of CCTV fulfilled the requirements of the Sixth Amendment, which allows defendants to confront witnesses against them. But she also noted the “devolution into a deposition-like atmosphere,” and questioned whether the lack of physical presence affected the interaction between witness and jury.

“The use of CCTV here was adequate,” she said, before adding, “it should not be done lightly.”