Virginia

Lawyers: Islamic scholar didn’t recruit for Taliban

An Islamic scholar accused of recruiting for the Taliban may have repellent political and religious beliefs, but he never exhorted his followers to fight U.S. troops in Afghanistan, defense lawyers said Monday.

Ali Al-Timimi, 41, is accused of urging followers shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to travel to Afghanistan and defend the Taliban against a looming U.S. invasion.

The crux of the case will likely be a Sept. 16, 2001, meeting at which al-Timimi allegedly offered an apocalyptic interpretation of the terror attacks and said Muslims were obligated to defend the Taliban regime.

Prosecutors also intend to introduce evidence that al-Timimi said the United States was the greatest enemy of Islam.

Al-Timimi faces six charges, including attempting to aid the Taliban and conspiracy to counsel others to levy war against the United States. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.

No one from the group ever made it to Afghanistan. Two group members claim their goal was to join the Taliban and that al-Timimi inspired them to do so.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Study: 9-11 highlighted flaws in preparedness

A federal report on the collapse of the World Trade Center towers highlights flaws in the emergency response and incorrect assumptions about how quickly people can evacuate a skyscraper in crisis, two individuals who worked on the study said Monday.

A team of engineers who have spent more than two years investigating the collapse of the twin towers are to issue three reports today in New York analyzing the Sept. 11, 2001, building collapses and the response by rescue workers and building occupants.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology also will detail how early decisions played a key role in determining who lived and who died. The attacks killed some 2,749 at the towers, including those who died on the two jetliners that hijackers crashed into the buildings.

The findings represent the institute’s last step before issuing its final recommendations in June, the culmination of exhaustive research and testing that produced 10,000 pages of data.