U.S. Briefs

September 9, 1995
Web posted at: 12:20 p.m. EDT

New York bombing trial near close

(CNN)--Comparing her client to Nelson Mandela and American revolutionary Thomas Paine, Lynne Stewart, the lawyer for Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, wrapped up her closing argument today in New York.

The Sheik is the lead defendant in the biggest terrorism trial in U.S. history but his attorney claimed in her summation that he was "out of the loop" on a plot to blow up New York landmarks.

In his closing argument this week, prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald accused the 10 men on trial of robbing Americans of their freedom from fear.

Stewart in her summation called on jurors to look past their fears to judge the Sheik, not on his fiery denunciations of the U.S. and Egyptian governments, but on his actions, or lack of action, in the alleged conspiracy.

Lawyers for the nine other defendants will give their summations and the prosecution its rebuttal before jurors have the chance, after nine months, to assess the evidence among themselves.

U.S. Briefs

New York bombing trial near close

| CONTENTS | SEARCH | CNN HOME PAGE | MAIN U.S. NEWS PAGE |