California Man Denied New Trial On Terrorism Charges; Faces 39 Years In Prison

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) _ A federal judge on Thursday rejected a new trial for a Lodi man convicted of training at a Pakistani terrorist camp. <br/><br/>Hamid Hayat, 24, faces up to 39 years in prison

Thursday, May 17th 2007, 10:56 pm

By: News On 6

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) _ A federal judge on Thursday rejected a new trial for a Lodi man convicted of training at a Pakistani terrorist camp.

Hamid Hayat, 24, faces up to 39 years in prison when he is sentenced Aug. 10. Defense attorneys said they will appeal.

U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. said reports of misconduct and prejudicial statements by the jury foreman were not credible. Jurors ``thoroughly and thoughtfully deliberated regarding Hayat's guilt or innocence,'' Burrell said.

The judge also rejected defense objections that jurors were misled by an FBI undercover informant who at one point testified, incorrectly, that he saw a top leader of Al-Qaida on the streets of Lodi, an agricultural community about 35 miles south of the state capital.

Hayat was convicted in April 2006 of lying to federal agents when he denied attending a terrorist training camp in Pakistan in 2003. He also was convicted of providing support to terrorists by attending the camp, then returning to the U.S. intending to conduct a holy war.