Reid, 29, remained defiant, describing himself as a soldier of war and
denouncing U.S. policies against Muslim nations as justification for his
attempted downing of American Airlines Flight 63 in December 2001. Nearly
200 passengers and crew members were aboard the Paris-to-Miami flight.
In a dramatic climax to the two-hour proceeding, Reid was muscled out of
the courtroom in handcuffs by four federal marshals after shouting at U.S.
District Court Judge William G. Young.
Reid, partially shaven with straggly hair falling to his shoulders and a
goatee, stood up immediately to his full, imposing height of 6-foot-4 and
pointed at the judge. Several of the crew members and passengers who were
on the flight looked stunned, glancing at each other and shaking their
heads. One woman cried.
"That flag will be brought down on the day of judgment and you will see in
front of your Lord and my Lord and then we will know," Reid said, in a
heavily accented, rapid-fire cadence. "You will be judged by Allah."
When he pleaded guilty in October, Reid pledged his support to al Qaeda
leader Osama bin Laden and declared himself an enemy of the United States.
He declared that allegiance again today in a federal courthouse surrounded
by bomb-sniffing dogs and armed federal agents.
"Your government has sponsored the torture of Muslims in Iraq and Turkey
and Jordan and Syria with their money and their weapons," Reid said. "I am
at war with your country."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3758-2003Jan30.html
Solidarity Richard,we'll try and swap you out for Dick Armitage or some
other pig.
