WASHINGTON – The U-S Supreme Court declined today to intervene in the cases of three U-S Muslims convicted in Virginia of preparing for holy war against the United States.
The three men were part of what prosecutors called a Virginia jihad network that wanted to join the Taliban in Afghanistan. Several of their convictions involved target practice with various weapons.
The men were tried and convicted by a federal judge in Alexandria and say they are entitled to a jury trial. The lawyer for two of the men says the federal judge never assured them they had a right to an impartial jury.
In addition, two of the men -- Masoud Ahmad Khan and Seifullah Chapman -- say their prison sentence were too harsh on several of their convictions that involved target practice with various weapons. Khan was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 420 months, while Chapman was sentenced to 55 years of his 65-year sentence.
The judge in the case said the law required her to impose consecutive prison terms. Typically, defendants serve concurrent terms.
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