Lawyer: FBI could have stopped death of pvt.

[unhappycamper]

Lawyer: FBI could have stopped death of pvt.
By Andrew DeMillo - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Nov 13, 2009 15:24:02 EST

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — While there is evidence against the man accused of killing one soldier and wounding another outside a recruiting center, questions should be raised about whether the FBI had enough information about the suspect to prevent the shootings, the man’s lawyer said Friday.

Abdulhakim Muhammad, born Carlos Bledsoe, won a four-month delay in his capital murder trial after attorney Claiborne Ferguson said he needed more time to prepare.

Outside court, Ferguson questioned whether the FBI missed warning signs for the June 1 shooting, in which Pvt. William Andrew Long was killed and Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula was wounded.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Ferguson said Muhammad claimed he had been questioned by the FBI when he was in Yemen in September 2007, after he converted to Islam. Yemeni immigration officials arrested Muhammad in November 2008 after he overstayed his visa and possessed a fake Somali passport.

“I think somebody who recently converts traveling to Yemen, winding up getting arrested and thrown into jail in a foreign country, if it’s not a red flag, it’s certainly a yellow flag that should have gotten somebody’s attention,” Ferguson said.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/11/ap_recruiters_shot_111309/

[exboyfil]

1. Seems like a really strange argument for a defense attorney

Is he going for some sort of diminished capacity defense (ie the guy was brainwashed by the Muslim faith to engage in a jihad)?

The lawyer is admitting to the act before the trial.

I guess he could be hoping to threaten to air the FBI's dirty laundry in an attempt to get a better plea bargain?