Defense seeks to bar 'Jihad' case witness

[ClankySubset]

By MATTHEW BARAKAT
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Lawyers for an Islamic scholar accused of exhorting his followers after the Sept. 11 attacks to fight Americans in Afghanistan want to bar testimony from a 26-year-old law school graduate who bills himself as "the Doogie Howser of terrorism."

Evan Kohlmann, expected to be an expert witness for the prosecution against Ali al-Timimi at his trial next month, is not really an expert at all, defense lawyers said in a motion filed earlier this month.

"Kohlmann is only one of many persons who have, in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, attempted to capitalize on the terrorism 'cottage industry' by making regular appearances in the media by labeling themselves as experts," defense lawyers Edward MacMahon and Alan Yamamoto wrote.

Prosecutors responded Thursday that Kohlmann has been previously qualified as an expert witness and that they are confident of his qualifications. A judge is scheduled to hear arguments on that and other motions Friday.

Prosecutors say Al-Timimi, 41, of Fairfax, served as a spiritual leader for a group of young Muslim men that played paintball games in 2000 and 2001 as a means to train for holy war around the world.
Just five days after the Sept. 11 attacks, al-Timimi convinced some of his followers that it was their duty as Muslims to defend the Taliban against a looming U.S. invasion, prosecutors say. Several group members then traveled to Pakistan and received military training from a militant group called Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Though no members of what prosecutors called the "Virginia Jihad group" made it to Afghanistan, several members have admitted as part of plea bargains that their goal was to join the Taliban, in large part at the urging of Al-Timimi.

Some members of the Virginia jihad group have also been linked to Ahmed Abu Ali, a Falls Church man accused of joining al-Qaida and plotting to assassinate President Bush.

Prosecutors want Kohlmann to testify at Al-Timimi's trial as an expert on modern Afghan politics, prosecutor Gordon Kromberg said in court filings.

On Kohlmann's Web site, he highlights a newspaper article excerpt in which an FBI agent refers to him as the "Doogie Howser of terrorism" - a reference to a television comedy about a child prodigy who practiced medicine.

Source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/nation...or%20Paintball

[elcali007]

I know the exspression is all publicity is good publicity, but I don't think that applies here