Mehanna to Ask for Charges to be Dismissed

Tarek Mehanna, the Sudbury resident accused in a 2010 indictment of conspiring to kill American troops in Iraq, will ask a judge today to dismiss some of the charges accusing him of providing support to al Qaeda, the Associated Press is reporting in the Sacramento Bee.

The report says Mehanna's lawyers will argue today at Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston that most of his activities are protected by the First Amendment in relation to free speech.

Prosecutors accuse Mehanna of traveling to Yemen to train in a terrorist camp and support terrorist groups by translating videos and textbooks intended to encourage others to participate in Muslim holy war, or jihad, the AP reports. Despite failing to receive that training, prosecutors say Mehanna became part of a conspiracy to provide support to terrorists.

According to the AP, U.S. District Judge George O'Toole Jr. will also hear arguments today on a request by prosecutors to not release certain evidence against Mehanna to his lawyers.

Mehanna's trial is scheduled to begin in October. He has been behind bars for 651 days. His charges include:

• conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization
• conspiracy to kill in a foreign country and making false statements.