Terror support suspect seeks to be released

Terror support suspect seeks to be released

MINNEAPOLIS — Attorneys for a man held in solitary confinement on terror charges for more than five years asked Tuesday that he be released while he awaits trial, saying his pretrial incarceration has gone on so long it has become punitive.

After U.S. District Court Judge John Tunheim said he would take the request under advisement, Mohammed Warsame stood up in court and said: “This is unfair, sir. I’ve been here a long time.”

Warsame, a Canadian of Somali descent, is charged with conspiracy to provide material support to al-Qaida and with providing such support. He also is charged with lying to the FBI. Warsame has pleaded innocent.

Source: No criminal charges expected against lawyers

WASHINGTON — Justice Department investigators have finalized a report critical of Bush administration lawyers who wrote secret memos approving harsh interrogation techniques, but they stop short of recommending a criminal investigation.

A person familiar with the investigation, who spoke on condition of anonymity, says investigators recommended referring two of the three lawyers to bar associations for possible disciplinary action. The person was not authorized to discuss the inquiry.

The person noted the report is still in draft form and subject to revisions. Attorney General Eric Holder may also make his own determination about what steps to take once the report is finalized.

Abduction of 3-year-old perplexes authorities

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — Investigators trying to find a 3-year-old kidnap victim, snatched from his home by armed robbers who threatened to kill him, have received dozens of tips but no solid leads, officials said Tuesday.

The gunmen burst through the family’s front door Sunday and tied up 3-year-old Briant Rodriguez, four of his siblings and their mother, Maria Rosalina Millan, then ransacked the house, stealing money and other property, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said.

After 20 minutes, the men left with Briant the department said.

“They grabbed my kid, told me, ‘I’m going to take the kid to Mexico and I’m going to kill him,’” the distraught Millan said in Spanish to reporters Monday night. “I said ‘Why? Don’t take my kid,’ and he told me to ‘Turn around, I’m going to shoot you. Stop talking.’”

No motive had been established and federal and local investigators were looking at several theories, including that the Spanish-speaking kidnappers were from Mexico and may have had ties to organized crime there, officials said.

EU bans seal products

STRASBOURG, France — The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to ban imports of seal products, including fur coats and even some omega-3 pills, in an effort to force Canada to end its annual seal hunt, the world’s largest.

The Canadian government reacted sharply to the move, with Trade Minister Stockwell Day promising that Ottawa will challenge the ban and take the 27-nation bloc to the world trade body if the new law does not exempt Canada.

In Pittsburgh, man gets double hand transplant

PITTSBURGH — A man who underwent the first double hand transplant in the United States was recovering Tuesday at a hospital.

Jeff Kepner, who lost his hands and feet to a bacterial infection 10 years ago, underwent surgery lasting just under nine hours Monday at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where a team of surgeons worked on each hand simultaneously, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Kepner, 57, was being monitored Tuesday in the transplant intensive care unit and was listed in critical but stable condition, which is what doctors had anticipated, spokeswoman Amy Dugas Rose said.

Book: Kennedy ended bid for Senate to please kids

ALBANY, N.Y. — A new book paints a picture of an intense, angry Caroline Kennedy bent on extending her family’s legacy in the U.S. Senate only to end her quest when her kids no longer recognized their cool, composed mother.

The book is by Edward Klein, a best-seller who’s been accused of using hearsay in other biographies.

“Ted Kennedy: The Dream That Never Dies,” is excerpted in the June issue of Vanity Fair. The excerpt says Caroline Kennedy told New York Gov. David Paterson she was withdrawing from consideration for the Senate seat because her kids and husband felt she was becoming a different person.

Associated Press