160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! CHERRY HILL, N.J. (AP) – He railed against the United States, helped scout out military installations for attack, offered to introduce his comrades to an arms dealer, and gave them a list of weapons he could procure, including machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. These were not the actions of a terrorist, but of a paid FBI informant who helped bring down an alleged plot by six Muslim men to massacre U.S. soldiers at New Jersey’s Fort Dix. And those actions have raised questions of whether the government crossed the line and pushed the six men down a path they would not have otherwise followed. It is an argument – entrapment – that has been made in other terrorism cases, and one that has failed miserably in this post-Sept. 11 era. One defense attorney on the case, Troy Archie, said no decision has been made on whether to argue entrapment, but based on the FBI’s own account, “the guys sort of led them on.” Rocco Cipparone, a lawyer for another one of the defendants, said he will take a hard look at “the role of paid informants and how aggressive they were in potentially prodding or moving things along.” The Fort Dix Six were arrested earlier this week after a 15-month FBI investigation that relied heavily on two paid informants who secretly recorded meetings and telephone conversations in which the suspects talked of killing “in the name of Allah.” U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie defended the government’s handling of the case. He and the FBI portrayed the defendants as Muslim fanatics who were nearly ready to strike. They were arrested Monday night during what the FBI said was an attempt to buy AK-47 machine guns, M-16s and other weapons. Former FBI agent Kevin Barrows said prosecutors appeared to have done things right. “They corroborated with surveillance, and they had a gun buy set up,” Barrows said. “That further solidified the case, as opposed to it just being a tape of somebody saying, ‘Yeah, I want to buy guns.’ They worked this for a long time and the evidence seems really, really solid.” Prosecutors portrayed the six men _ Serdar Tatar, 23; Agron Abdullahu, 24; Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer, 22; Dritan “Anthony” or “Tony” Duka, 28; Shain Duka, 26; and Eljvir “Elvis” Duka, 23 _ as driven by hatred of America, a description disputed by relatives and acquaintances. “I never in my wildest dreams imagined what they’ve been accused of,” said Ismail Badat, trustee of the Islamic Center of South Jersey in Palmyra, where the Duka brothers worshipped. The same documents that prosecutors used to build a case against the suspects also depict them as somewhat disorganized, lackluster plotters. And clumsy and amateurish, too: The FBI learned of the alleged plot when the men went to a Circuit City store and asked a clerk to transfer a jihad training video of themselves onto a DVD. Also, they mistakenly thought an AK-47 costs $500, instead of $1,500 to $3,000. Also, one of the men, Tatar, called a Philadelphia police officer in November, saying that he had been approached by someone who was pressuring him to obtain a map of Fort Dix, and that he feared the incident was terrorist-related, according to court documents. “It could be a defense, that he felt he was being pressured to do things and actually called law enforcement to report it,” Sohail Mohammed, a lawyer and Muslim community leader in New Jersey who is not involved in the case. Entrapment occurs when law enforcement officials entice others into committing a crime they otherwise would not have committed. Under the law, people cannot be convicted if they were entrapped. But there is no entrapment if a person is willing to break the law and law officers offer to help. “If the source talks them into committing a crime, that is entrapment,” said retired FBI agent Craig Dotlo, a 32-year veteran. But “if they are predisposed to commit a crime, and you give them the opportunity, that’s fine.” Among other things, even before the informant presented the list of weapons he said he could get, Dritan Duka unwittingly asked an undercover federal agent he had seen at a firing range about where he might buy an AK-47 or M-16, according to the FBI. Archie, the defense attorney, conceded it is difficult to win an entrapment defense. “Basically, if they are just constantly pushing someone to go in a particular direction,” he said. “It’s just got to be obvious, obvious entrapment for it to fly.” Attorney Henry Klingeman unsuccessfully argued that government agents had entrapped London merchant Hemant Lakhani, convicted in New Jersey in 2005. Lakhani was caught in a sting trying to arrange the sale of at least 50 shoulder-fired missiles for shooting down American airliners. He is serving a 47-year prison sentence. “In the post-9/11 era, the entrapment defense is basically useless,” Klingeman said. “For a defendant, merely saying he wishes he could do harm to America, the jury has heard enough.” Entrapment also failed as a defense in the case of Shahwar Matin Siraj, who was convicted in New York City of plotting to blow up the Herald Square subway station in 2003. Authorities had recruited an Egyptian man as an informant. Siraj’s lawyer, Martin R. Stolar, argued at trial that Siraj had no interest in violence until the informant showed him photos of prisoners being abused at Abu Ghraib and told him it was his duty as a Muslim to retaliate. Siraj was found guiity and sentenced to 30 years. “The government often overreaches in its zeal to give itself a pat on the back,” Stolar said. “In my case, my position was that they created the crime in order to solve the crime so that they could then claim a victory in the war on terror.” Vincent Henry, director of the Homeland Security Management Institute at Long Island University and a 21-year veteran of the New York Police Department, said he is convinced that the Fort Dix defendants really were capable of pulling off such an attack. “I’m sure they were,” he said. “The arrests were made as they were on their way to purchase the weapons, or at least some of the weapons. They had seemed to plan it out very, very well.” Associated Press writers Wayne Parry in Trenton, Jeff Gold and David Porter in Newark, Chris Newmarker in Palmyra and Deborah Yao in Philadelphia contributed to this story. read more

Arsenal intersted in Philipp Ochs but 19-year-old could cost a lot – Ochs has only played 13 Bundesliga games and is currently on international duty with Germany’s U19 side. The 19-year-old is his nation’s top scorer with three goals, all of which came against Portugal. Hoffenheim, though, are not keen to sell a player who has a promising future ahead of him and are likely to demand a large fee. Arda Turan priced at around £20m – Spanish news outlet Sport say Turan’s future is still up in the air and could sell the midfielder if a club offers Barcelona £20m. Arsenal have been linked, though Sport also say talks between player and club about his future have been planned. Leicester still waiting on Riyad Mahrez – As revealed by talkSPORT’s Transfer Insider, both Arsenal and Chelsea are monitoring Mahrez’s situation at Leicester. The Premier League champions are fighting hard to keep him and have offered a massive contract to the Algerian, which has been there since there the end of last season – no response yet, however… Wellington Silva is off (yes, he was still there) – He didn’t appear once for Arsenal and has re-joined Brazilian side Fluminense on a four-year deal. Silva, 23, arrived in 2010 and appeared to be one for the future but spent time on loan in Spain and also at Bolton. Jason Denayer to leave Man City for Arsenal? – Denayer, one of the Belgium players who was sold a dummy by Wales’ Hal Robson-Kanu during the Euro 2016 quarter-final clash, is said to be on Wenger’s shortlist, say the Sun. The 21-year-old may leave if there’s a chance to play first team football regularly, which is looking unlikely at Man City given the link to Leonardo Bonucci. Denayer is worth about £15m and Arsenal have also been linked to Dortmund’s Matthias Ginter. 11 11 11 Who else will Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger bring in during the summer transfer window?Gooners will tell you a new striker is a must, so here, talkSPORT has rounded up the latest rumours involving the club.REASONS FOR ARSENAL FANS TO BE HAPPYClick the arrow above, right, to see more Arsenal transfer rumours.To remain up to date with all the latest transfer news, click here. 11 11 11 11 Rob Holding: Bolton defender heading to London for medical – The 20-year-old Bolton defender (above, left) is on his way to Arsenal in a reported £2m deal. Holding is a centre-back who can also play as a full-back and played 30 times last season and won the club’s Player of the Year prize. Gonzalo Higuain is too expensive for Juve – click the arrow above, right, to see more Arsenal transfer rumours – Juventus will NOT pay the reported £78.5m release clause for Napoli’s top scoring striker Higuain, says Juve chief exec Giuseppe Marotta. This is good news for Arsenal who have maintained an interest in the 36-goal striker. However, he has also proved too expensive for the Gunners and now it is said Napoli are preparing a bumper new contract for Higuain. 11 Milan waiting to see if Arsenal show real interest in Carlos Bacca – Bacca scored 18 Serie A goals last season, but is looking to leave in order to play European football. West Ham have been linked with him, but Italian news outlet Gazzetta dello Sport say Milan are waiting to see if Arsenal shore up their reported interest in the 29-year-old. 11 11 Man City eyeing Hector Bellerin – Spanish news outlet Mundo Deportivo say Man City are interested in Hector Bellerin, Arsenal’s 21-year-old right back. He is happy in London and wants to stay in the Premier League, but is said to be open to the idea of linking up with Pep Guardiola given their Barcelona connection. Zinedine Zidane doesn’t quite confirm Alvaro Morata’s future is with Real – Speaking about Morata’s future, Real Madrid manager Zidane said: “He is an academy product, who knows what Real Madrid is and truthfully we are happy to have him with us. Later we’ll see.” The 23-year-old recently returned to Spain after two years at Juventus and it is still uncertain where his future lies. Both Arsenal and Chelsea have been linked with the player. 11 Joel Campbell wants to fight for Arsenal place – Campbell is still not a regular at Arsenal and has been consistently linked with a move away from the club. However, he told the official website he is looking forward to pre-season training after his holiday. “I will fight with everything to have the opportunity to play and to show what I can give”. read more