May 06, 2003
Update on Hawash Case
For the sake of consistency, I should probably make sure I don't get too far behind on the status of the case against Mike Hawash. After being indicted by a grand jury last Friday, Hawash yesterday pleaded 'not guilty' to the charges against him:
Facing charges he conspired to join the Taliban and al-Qaida in a holy war against U.S. forces in Afghanistan, an Intel contract engineer pleaded not guilty Monday as lawyers for other defendants filed motions attacking the government's case.
...
On Friday, a federal grand jury indicted Maher "Mike" Hawash, 38, on charges of conspiring to wage war against the United States, provide material support and resources to al-Qaida, and contribute services to al-Qaida and the Taliban. He's one of seven people named in the grand jury's superseding indictment, which mostly reiterates charges against the other six that were filed in October.
This Thursday, another hearing will be held to determine whether Hawash will continue to be imprisoned pending his trial, currently scheduled to begin, along with that of his co-defendants, in October.
Meanwhile, a commentary in Findlaw's Writ questions whether, regardless of his guilt or innocence, Hawash's pre-indictment imprisonment as a "material witness" might have been a violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.