Prosecuting terrorists in the "homeland"

I'm confident that Abu Gonzales' Justice Department will someday soon make an arrest in the case of the anthrax attacks in late 2001.

But meanwhile, how are other federal investigations and prosecutions of accused terrorists going? Well, there's the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, who has confessed to having been involved in Al Qaida's 9/11 plot (From investigation to prosecution, Moussaoui case was mishandled St. Petersburg Times editorial 3/23/03):

Stunning incompetence is the only way to describe the government's handling of the investigation of al-Qaida operative Zacarias Moussaoui, who was picked up on immigration charges two weeks before the 9/11 attacks.

The bungling by higher-ups within the FBI had tragic consequences, yet no one within the bureau has been called to account. At the same time, the sentencing trial of Moussaoui has been a comedy of errors and, thanks to prosecutorial misconduct, was almost derailed last week. ...

Then, earlier this week, an FBI field agent testified that he sent up dozens of red flags about Moussaoui and his likely terrorist connections. But the warnings were ignored or dismissed at FBI headquarters in Washington. It was powerful testimony that played right into the defense's argument that the FBI was too lead-footed to respond to the leads it had. (my emphasis)

Then there's the Hamid Hayat trial over the alleged Lodi, CA terrorist cell: Hayat ex-juror not convinced: Excused from jury, she says terror case not yet proved Sacramento Bee 03/23/06.

One of the jurors was removed "as the government nears the conclusion of its case against the 23-year-old Hayat" because she had forgotten to inform the court during jury selection that she had once dated a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy in the past:

A juror who was excused Wednesday from the terrorism trial of Hamid Hayat said as she left the federal courthouse that, if she had to decide now, she would vote to acquit the Lodi man.

"Beyond a reasonable doubt hasn't been proven at this point," the 39-year-old Clabaugh said in a hallway interview with reporters. "It's not very clear-cut."

Clabaugh was removed before the defense presented its case. (my emphasis)

That's before the defense even presented its case.

(And, yes, I was joking about the anthrax investigation.)

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