Man
Charged with
al Shabaab
Attack Plan
Set to
Represent Self
at Trial
Wanted To Ask
on Israel
by
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book
Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
Oct 24 – Cholo Abdi Abdullah
is charged with planning with
al Shabaab to attack the US
with a commercial jet.
On
September 5, 2023 he appeared
in court saying he has lost
faith in lawyers, and intially
saying he now wants to
represent himself. Inner City
Press was there, the only
media in the courtroom.
U.S.
District Court for the
Southern District of New York
Judge Analisa Torres advised
him that without a lawyer he
would be at a major
disadvantage.
On November 21,
2023 Inner City Press went at
9 am to Abdullah's Faretta
hearing. But it was asked to
leave the courtroom, from 9:22
am to 9:50 am. It filed a
letter to get the transcript
of the closed proceeding, here.
On August 5,
2024Judge Torres set a
schedule for an October 28
start of trial.
On October 18,
the US Attorney's Office wrote
in with issues for the final
pre-trial conference on
October 21, and trial set to
start October 28: he "wants to
merely sit passively during
the trial... because he does
not believe that this is a
legitimate system."
He has not
requested assistance in filing
a proposed clothing order. So
will he sit on trial in MDC
tan?
On October 21, he
appeared in MDC tan for the
final pre-trial conference.
Inner City Press was there. Thread:
All rise! [Inner
City Press is the only media -
the only civilian - in the
courtroom] Judge: Mr Abdullah,
the trial begins next
week. Abdullah: I wish
to remain passive
Judge: If
your stand-by counsel becomes
active, I will assume it is
with your consent. Abdullah: I
am deliberating if I might
question some witnesses. It is
up to me. They are not going
to participate in this case.
Judge: If
you engage in misconduct you
may lose your right to
represent yourself. You are at
an extreme disadvantage if you
represent yourself. You are
putting yourself in extreme
danger. Abdullah: I have my
reasons. I keep them to myself
Abdullah: I
would prefer to not even have
stand-by counsel. But you do
not allow that. Judge: Did you
receive the US motions in
limine? Abdullah: I have
objections, but no stamps to
mail them. Judge: You may make
them now.
Abdullah: The US
is going to use Al Shabaab
propaganda videos. Fine. But
they should not show video of
suicide bombers to the jury.
It is going to play with
verdict. I want them to cut
the part with the
shooting,start with the
reporter
Abdullah:
There is CCTV provided by the
Kenyan government. I do not
want the suicide bomber video
in AUSA: We want it in. He
searched for the video almost
contemporaneously. It is
probative. [White noise is
turned on]
Abdullah: I
don't object to the jury being
shown the anti American and
anti Zionist statements... But
using the other Al Shabaab
statements of CC-1 and CC-2,
it is hearsay.
Judge:
Having received no objections,
I issued an order on October
16. I assume you got it-
Abdullah: I did not. Judge:
You should read it. We will
take a break.
On October 24
stand-by counsel wrote in that
Abdullah has only been given
access to legal research six
days before trial. He had
wanted jurors to asked about
"bias about Israel and
Palestine" but withdrew his
request.
Watch this site.
More on Substack
here
The case
is US v. Abdullah, 20-cr-677
(Torres)
***
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