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Community Reacts to Plea Bargain of Taliban-American

Aired July 16, 2002 - 06:04   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: It was supposed to be a routine pretrial hearing on evidence suppression in the John Walker Lindh case, but instead, prosecutors and defense attorneys announced a plea bargain. Under the agreement, all but two charges were dropped against the Taliban-American, and he will spend 20 years in prison.

One of the charges dropped was related to the killing of CIA agent, Mike Spann, during an Afghan prison uprising. Spann's parents blasted the plea bargain.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNNY SPANN, MIKE SPANN'S FATHER: The thing about it is, you know, even 20 years -- he was talking about the 20-year sentence a while ago and how tough it was. You know, the thing about 20 years is that I know, in fact, that our grandchildren, Allison (ph), Emily and Jake, and I'll just almost bet you that all of the children that were left from the World Trade Center attacks and the Pentagon and the people, the men and women that have died over there, their children that are still here, I'll bet you that all of them wish that they could say, you know, mom and dad, or mom or dad, is going to be back in 20 years. But you know, for Mike, he's not going to be back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLAWAY: The federal prosecutors say that they have no objections to John Walker Lindh serving his sentence in a prison near his family's California residence.

It was an emotional moment when family members spoke outside the courtroom yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAOMI WALKER, SISTER: All I can say is that I love my brother very much. I just want him to come home, but I know it's not going to happen. But he has been so strong, and we had to be strong for him. And I just love him very much.

FRANK LINDH, FATHER: He has never expressed the slightest bitterness about any of the treatment that he suffered. He never, in all of the interrogations that were going to be the subject of the suppression hearing, never once did John ever say anything against the United States -- never once, not one word. John loves America, and we love America. God bless America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLAWAY: Now, reaction to the plea bargain ran the gamut in the Walker Lindh hometown. CNN's James Hattori spoke with residents there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMES HATTORI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Marin County, California, where John Walker Lindh last lived with his mother, reaction to his sudden guilty plea ranged from sympathy...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's kind of shocking that they did that. I mean, to bring him back here and put him in jail for 20 years, I mean, I feel like they might as well have exiled him and just left him there to be with the country he chose to be with.

HATTORI: ... to disappointment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I won't second-guess what his decision was or wasn't. What he did was wrong, and he has to pay for it. And I don't think 20 years is enough.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's better he got 20 years than executed, because I think his -- I worry more about his family than about him, you know, because he has made his choices, and those are things you have to live with.

HATTORI: At the local Islamic center, where Lindh worshipped 10 years ago, a board member says many Muslims believe Lindh is being punished for pursuing his religious beliefs.

(on camera): Do you not believe justice was served?

EBRAHAIM NANA, MARIN COUNTY ISLAMIC CENTER: I don't believe so, but, hey, that's not the first time it would have happened in America.

HATTORI (voice-over): Others question federal prosecutors' assertion that this was -- quote -- "an important victory in the war against terrorism."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that's a joke. He was, you know, fighting with the Taliban and he was whatever the Taliban were in Afghanistan, but I think he's not any big number anything.

HATTORI (on camera): A lot of residents here in Marin County undoubtedly welcome the end of this notorious case and the media attention, which they feel at times unfairly characterized this community as very liberal and overly-permissive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He caused a lot of hoopla in this little town, you know. It kind of put us on the map for the wrong thing.

HATTORI (voice-over): Yet, Lindh's supporters believe following his Muslim calling was the right thing, and that his beliefs will see him through still.

NANA: He has faced that before, so what's 20 years?

HATTORI: James Hattori, CNN, Marin County, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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