Judge to decide on closed testimony - Another Fitzgerald case

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-salah26.html

It would be absolutely unprecedented in American law to close a courtroom to allow Israeli agents to testify about what methods they use to extract confessions from prisoners, lawyers for Mohammad Salah, a Bridgeview man charged with funding terrorist acts in Israel, told a federal judge Wednesday.

But federal prosecutors say it's a reasonable request by the Israeli government. Never before has the Israeli government allowed its agents to travel to an American courtroom to testify, they said. To accommodate them, the court should be willing to close the courtroom so fringe Palestinian groups can't target the agents, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's office argued.

U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve listened to both sides' arguments Wednesday and will hold a formal hearing in March.

Prosecutors will travel this weekend to Israel to interview agents, police and others who may be called to testify against Salah and his co-defendants, Abdelhaleem Ashqar of Alexandria, Va., and Mousa Abu Marzook of Syria. They are accused of a 15-year campaign of laundering money that went to Hamas, which the United States has classified as a terrorist group Americans are not allowed to fund.

Salah says the government wants to "launder" torture-obtained confessions from Israel to be used in an American court.

Note: This is the "interrogation" that Judith Miller was allowed to watch. She has to testify too.

[BR_Parkway]

1. So what is Fitz tracking down with this?

[NNN0LHI]

2. Don't know but I can't believe he...

...is even going to put Israeli agents on the stand. Should be an interesting one to watch.

Don

[LiberalEsto]

3. NOW I'm worried about Fitgerald's safety

Goddess protect him!