Lawyer Says Suspect Activist Not Terrorist
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
NEW YORK (AP) – An American student extradited from London to face charges that he provided Al Qaeda fighters with equipment to attack American soldiers is an activist, not a terrorist, his lawyer said Tuesday after the man pleaded not guilty in court.
“These charges are unfounded,” the lawyer, Sean Maher, told reporters.
Syed Hashmi, a 27-year-old former Queens resident, was the first terrorism suspect extradited to America by British authorities. He arrived shortly before midnight Friday to face a May 2006 indictment.
On Tuesday, Hashmi smiled at a dozen family members and friends as he was led out of the courtroom. He will be detained pending a bail hearing scheduled for Friday.
“He is not a terrorist. He is an academic. He’s been a political activist,” his lawyer said.
Mr. Maher said Hashmi has been outspoken at rallies, mostly in the United States, about his views opposing some American policies, though he would not be more specific.
MoMr. Maher said he had not seen the government’s evidence but believed the equipment was “glorified camping equipment” including sleeping bags and goggles.
