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Advocacy Blog
Monday, October 22, 2007
Judge Declares Mistrial in Holy Land Foundation Case
The biggest terror finance trial in U.S. history was declared a mistrial. The federal case against the Holy Land Foundation, once one of the largest Muslim charities in the U.S., ended in a mistrial after jurors were unable to come to a unanimous decision on the 197 counts brought against the charity and five of its formers officers and supporters. There was a unanimous verdict only on one defendant, Mohammad El-Mezain, Holy Land's original chairman and endowments director who was acquitted on all but one count. All other counts the jury hung on, and subject to retrial, which the government will do.
Dallas Morning News reports; "When polled, some jurors told the judge that they did not agree with the verdicts on Mr. Abdulqader and Mr. Odeh. U.S. District Judge Joe Fish then ordered the jury to discuss whether further deliberations might allow them to reach a decision. But after deliberating for another 45 minutes Monday morning, 11 of 12 jurors agreed that further deliberations would not change their decisions. It was then that the judge declared a mistrial.
Read coverage from the New York Times here.
Posted by Amanda Adams
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