The Trial of Hamid and Umer Hayat: Terror or Entrapment?

On PBS last night, Frontline premiered a special titled 'The Enemy Within' that took an in-depth look at "homegrown" terror cells in the United States. Investigative journalist Lowell Bergman focuses on the most significant terrorist case in the United States since 9/11; the purported al Qaeda plot in Lodi, CA thwarted by the FBI in 2002.

In February 2006, Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte told Congress, "A network of Islamic extremists in Lodi maintained connections with Pakistani militant groups, recruited U.S. citizens, … [and] allegedly raised funds for international jihadist groups."

However, upon close examination and interviews with top law enforcement officials involved in the case, Bergman discovers that the case highly touted by US counter-terror officials as a significant al Qaeda bust amounted to little more than entrapment and coerced and fabricated confessions from two men who, in fact, had nothing to do with the terrorist group.

The special can be viewed in its entirety at PBS.com here.

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