Liberty City Seven Terror Trial Underway

October 2, 2007

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You might remember we covered this story in June 2006.

Seven men, later dubbed “The Liberty City Seven” were arrested in the early stages of a plot to attack Chicago’s Sears Tower and the FBI building in Miami. It was their belief that bringing down the Sears Tower would cripple the United States and result in the U.S. government being overthrown.

Fairly audacious plan…

Although there has been very little mention of it in the press, the groups trial is underway and more detailed information about their plan is being released.

FBI audio and video recordings show that the so-called “Liberty City Seven” hoped to use street gangs as soldiers who would stage attacks, ranging from large-scale bombings of major buildings to poisoning salt shakers in restaurants, Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Gregorie said in an opening statement.

On one of the 15,000 FBI recordings, one of the members of the group, Narseal Batiste is even overheard saying he would make sure no one survived destruction of the 110-story Sears Tower because his soldiers would be ready to shoot down anyone who escaped.

“These defendants wanted to wage jihad against the United States, and they tell us so in unequivocal detail,” Gregorie told jurors. “They say ‘the war has to be fought here. And it can’t be just a bombing. It’s got to be chaos.’”

Batiste attorney Ana M. Jhones countered that the purported plot was driven mainly by two paid FBI informants, including one known as Mohammed who posed as a representative of al-Qaida. She said Batiste’s group was coerced into going along with the violent plan by “this great con man,” who was paid about $80,000 by the FBI.

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