The case against a Muslim cleric, who is the son of a man facing 4 charges of terrorism, was dropped after prosecutors found insufficient evidence of support for the Taliban.
US District Court Judge Robert Scola has dismissed terrorism support and conspiracy charges against 26-year-old Izhar Khan, a Muslim cleric in Florida, citing insufficient evidence, the Associated Press reports. Kahn is an Imam at a mosque in Margate, Florida, a suburb north of Fort Lauderdale.
Kahn was accused, along with his father Hafiz Kahn, of funneling cash to the Taliban in Pakistan. Judge Scola ruled that the son’s involvement in two transactions, which together totaled $1,100, was not evidence that he was supporting the terrorist organization. The case against his father however, will proceed in Miami federal court.
Prosecution dropped similar charges against another of Hafiz Kahn’s sons earlier last year. The senior Kahn is facing 4 terrorism support and conspiracy charges, each of which carry a maximum of 15 years in prison.
Photo: StockMonkeys.com/Flickr
I tend to put my skeptical hat on whenever I see the word “conspiracy.” Proving a theory of conspiracy in court requires little evidence. When people are up to no good, they generally don’t put the details of their exchanges in their phones or calendars. They don’t wear T-shirts advertising their involvement. As a result, statutes against conspiracy (see RICO) are written to trap people who even seem suspicious.