“Fantasies” about jihad. That’s all it was, he says.
“Suspected Atlanta terrorist said he never planned violence,” by Megan Matteucci for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, August 4 (thanks to James):
A suspected Atlanta terrorist told a jury Tuesday he talked about jihad but never had an actual plan of violence.
Ehsanul Islam Sadequee presented a 14-minute opening statement in his own trial Tuesday morning. He is accused of conspiring with known terrorists — including one arrested with 40 pounds of explosives — to launch a violent jihad. Prosecutors say he supplied video of Washington D.C., landmarks to overseas terrorists.
“There was no plan. There was a lot of talk about doing a lot of things,” Sadequee told the jury. “A lot of just empty talk.”
Prosecutors say Sadequee didn’t need to actually launch an attack, just orchestrating it is a crime.
“The law allows the government to stop the plan before someone enrolls in flight school and learns to fly a jet,” federal prosecutor Robert McBurney said.
Sadequee, 23, opted Monday to represent himself. On Tuesday, the jury listened to him nervously talk about his “fantasies” about jihad….