The jury in the U.S. District Court in Miami has handed out guilty charges against Jose Padilla on three counts; providing material support for Islamist terrorist groups and conspiring to murder, kidnap and maim people in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Bosnia and other countries from 1993 to 2001.
Jose Padilla was detained at Chicago's O’Hare airport after suspected involvement in a radiological “dirty” bomb plot. He was detained at a military brig in South Carolina and held without charge for 3 1/2 years by the Bush administration. The case was turned over to the civilian court system after his case began to escalate to the high courts. Though the “dirty” bomb charges were dropped, the government sought prosecution on conspiracy to commit terrorist acits.
Padilla's case was amended to two other suspects, Adham Hassoun and Kifah Jayyousi, who were involved in recruiting Padilla into an Islamic militant cell. Padilla traveled to Egypt and other locations. A key piece of evidence in the case was an al Qa’ida recruitment form signed by Padilla.
He faces life in jail.
