Padilla arrives in Miami to face criminal charges
MIAMI – One of the nation’s most controversial terrorism suspects, Jose Padilla, appeared briefly in a Miami federal court Thursday to face criminal charges for the first time since being detained about four years ago as an enemy combatant.
Padilla was flown in a military jet from South Carolina to Homestead Air Reserve Base in south Florida, then taken by helicopter to Watson Island.
With a Blackhawk copter flying cover, a convoy of U.S. marshals and Highway Patrol troopers raced him to the Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami before his initial court appearance.
His hearing lasted about five minutes, but it was a significant development in Padilla’s case – representing his transfer from indefinite military detention to civilian custody.
The move came one day after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered that Padilla – an alleged al-Qaida operative who federal officials say plotted to detonate a radioactive “dirty bomb” somewhere on American soil – be released from the South Carolina military brig.
The court decision resolved a high-stakes legal fight over the former Broward County, Fla., resident’s fate between the Bush administration and Padilla’s lawyers. He and four other defendants, accused of providing “material support” to kill people in an Islamic jihad abroad, are scheduled for trial next fall.
Padilla’s Miami court appearance on a terror-conspiracy indictment, which included no mention of the dirty-bomb allegation, was highly unusual because it occurred immediately upon his arrival in town.
Another sign of the high-profile case: The hearing before Magistrate Judge Barry Garber was attended by a host of senior federal prosecutors – including interim U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta.
Padilla, 35, wore an orange detention jumpsuit, black sneakers and glasses – along with leg shackles and handcuffs. Flanking him were armed federal marshals.
Garber explained Padilla’s rights as a criminal defendant, asking him: “Do you understand me so far?”
Padilla replied: “Yes, I do.”
The judge asked him if he was going to be represented by his current lawyers, Donna R. Newman and Andrew G. Patel. Padilla said “yes” twice.
The judge then established that Patel will be appearing with the defendant today at his arraignment, where Padilla will formally enter a plea of not guilty. His attorneys plan to seek bail – which is not likely to be granted given the gravity of the charges.