Jury Seated To Hear Terrorism Support Trial Of US Citizen Jose Padilla

Tuesday, May 8th 2007, 5:05 pm

By: News On 6

MIAMI (AP) _ A jury was seated Tuesday to hear the trial of alleged al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla and two co-defendants, accused of being part of a North American support cell for Islamic extremists around the world.

The 36-year-old U.S. citizen was held as an enemy combatant for 3 1/2 years. The government initially claimed he was on an al-Qaida mission to detonate a radioactive ``dirty bomb'' inside the United States, but that allegation is not part of the Miami case.

Padilla was indicted along with Adham Amin Hassoun and Kifah Wael Jayyousi on charges of conspiracy to ``murder, kidnap and maim'' people overseas as well as terrorism support.

All three have pleaded not guilty. If convicted, they face possible life sentences.

The seven men and five women jurors were selected from a final pool of 88 people after nearly a month of questioning. Opening statements are scheduled to begin Monday and the trial is expected to last into August.

``This is going to be a time-consuming endeavor,'' U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke told the panel.

Prosecutors and defense lawyers jousted repeatedly over peremptory challenges that were used to excuse 44 prospective jurors from the panel. Prosecutors contended defense lawyers were seeking to unfairly exclude white and Hispanic men; defense lawyers cried foul over removal of black women and one Muslim.

Cooke allowed each of the removals to stand because both sides gave explanations for the actions that were not based on a juror's race, ethnicity or religion. She said there was no racial or ethnic ``quota'' that needed to be met.

``What the law says is a race-neutral reason. That is what I am looking at,'' Cooke said.

The 12 jurors are five blacks, four whites and three Hispanics, and the alternates include five Hispanics and one woman of Egyptian heritage, who said she was born Muslim but does not practice.

The jurors are not being sequestered. Cooke told them not to read newspapers or Internet accounts of the case and to turn off the television or radio if something about it comes on.