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Terrorist
J ULIE K EEFE
S USAN F RIED
Photographers
continued from page 1
conduct of the United States gov-
ernment through that intimida-
tion.”
Ressam, an Algerian national
who had attended training camps
for Islamic terrorists, was arrested
Dec. 14, 1999, in Port Angeles,
Wash.
He had a bogus Canadian pass-
port but his nervousness after
arriving on a ferry from Canada
prompted a search of his rental
car. Authorities found more than
100 pounds of chemicals, along
with timing devices and other
equipment, to make a fertilizer-
derived nitrate bomb.
In April 2001, Ressam was con-
victed of nine federal charges,
including smuggling explosives
and conspiracy to commit a terror-
ist act. Sentencing guidelines rec-
ommended 65 years to life in
prison, but federal authorities
offered lesser sentences if he
would cooperate in other terrorist
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C
The 3rd Stryker Brigade, the
brigade to which the accused sol-
dier belongs, was the Army’s first
brigade to use the Stryker. The
brigade deployed three times to
Iraq before sending 2,500 soldiers
to Afghanistan for the first time
last December.
For this most recent deploy-
ment, it left its 300 Stryker vehi-
cles at home and, instead, has
been using vehicles that were
already in Afghanistan and are
more resistant to roadside bombs.
The source said the soldier was
assigned on Feb. 1 to a village sta-
bility program in Belambai, half a
mile from one of the villages
where the attack took place Sun-
day. Villagers described an armed
soldier moving through homes,
shooting residents.
The village stability operations
are part of NATO’s efforts to tran-
sition out of Afghanistan. They
pair special operations troops
with local villagers chosen by vil-
lage elders to become essentially
a sanctioned, armed neighbor-
hood watch.
Army officials are reviewing
the soldier’s complete deploy-
ment and medical history.
In Washington state, Spc. Jared
Richardson, an engineer at Lewis-
McChord who served in
Afghanistan, said the Army is
working with soldiers to deal with
their problems. But he said a
decade of war has taken a toll on
enlisted men and women.
“We’re on uncharted territory
now, and it’s taking a toll on sol-
diers,” Richardson said.
Jorge Gonzalez, executive
director of Coffee Strong, a coffee
shop near Lewis-McChord that
doubles as a resource center for
soldiers looking to leave the
Army, said frequent Stryker
deployments are taking their toll.
“There is definitely fatigue,
many are on their third, fourth
deployments. Many can’t wait to
get out,” he said.
cases.
He cooperated for two years but
later recanted some testimony.
The federal judge who sen-
tenced Ressam said he looked at
several factors, balancing the
harm Ressam planned with the
good his cooperation had done in
fighting terrorism. But the appeals
court said U.S. District Judge
John C. Coughenour in Seattle
committed a “clear error of judg-
ment.”
“We acknowledge that 22 years
is not a trivial period of time” but
it is decades shorter than the rec-
ommended sentence from federal
guidelines, said the judges in the
majority opinion. It noted that
under the current sentence,
Ressam would be only 51 when
he is released from prison and still
able to do damage.
“Ressam demonstrated strongly
held beliefs and a willingness to
attack American interests. If and
when he is released, he could try
again to blow up LAX or to
launch some other attack,”
according to the decision.
The case now returns to Seattle
for resentencing.
“Obviously, I’m disappointed
that we have to go through anoth-
er sentencing,” said Tom Hillier,
the federal public defender who
argued the case before the appel-
late court in Seattle. “It’s been a
long haul for Ahmed. But when it
comes to terrorism cases, there are
some fairly strong opinions on
what should be” the sentence.
He said the judge will have to
impose a sentence longer than 22
years but the appellate court did
not specify any specific length.
Among the seven judges who
voted to overturn the sentence,
three said in a concurring opinion
that the case was not that of a typ-
ical crime and they were hesitant
about whether it provided any
precedent for ruling whether a
sentence was unreasonable.
“Acts of war are indeed differ-
ent from ordinary crimes, and our
current war with terrorism is
indeed different from ordinary
wars,” said the opinion by Judge
Stephen Reinhardt, one of the
court’s most liberal justices. “I am
far from certain that our govern-
ment or our citizens have yet
determined how to deal with these
differences.”
Dissenting judges argued that
the court majority was treating
terrorism differently from other
crimes and was not basing its
decision on the legal merits. They
argued that the sentence was
reached properly and should
stand.
ward, the official said. Two U.S.
officials speaking on condition of
anonymity said the suspect had
been trained as a sniper.
The news about the killing
spree was the latest difficult
episode for Lewis-McChord over
the past few years.
Home to about 100,000 military
and civilian personnel, it’s had a
spate of suicides among soldiers
back from war. And most famous-
ly, four service members were
convicted in the deliberate killing
of three Afghan civilians during
patrols in 2010.
The soldier accused in Sunday’s
shooting is not from the same
brigade. Those soldiers were from
the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat
Team, which has since been
renamed the 2nd Stryker brigade.
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Associated Press writer Manuel
Valdes contributed from near
Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
© 2012 The Associated Press.
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A
R
S EATTLE 2012
If you have an event you want to share
with the community, email it two weeks
in advance to The Skanner at
info@theskanner.com
Thursday March 15
TWEEN NIGHT. Calling all 5th and 6th graders. This
is your night to kick it with your friends. This
program offers a safe and fun place for Tweens
to hang out with their friends. This event is free for
all 5th and 6th graders. 5 – 8 p.m. Ravenna
Eckstein Community Center, 6535 Ravenna Ave.
NE
TROY DAVIS: THE HUMAN FACE OF THE DEATH
PENALTY. Award-winning documentary, filmmaker,
author, and Seattle resident Jen Marlowe knew
Troy Davis and his family and worked for years to
prevent his execution. Marlowe will talk about
Troy’s case and about the human beings behind
the headlines. 5 p.m. Keystone Church, 5019
Keystone Place N. The event is free, but
donations for the family will be accepted.
Saturday & Sunday March 17 & 18
IRISH FESTIVAL AT THE SEATTLE CENTER. The festival
explore the cultural roots and contemporary
influences of Ireland through live performances,
cultural displays, hand-on activities, food,
drawings and much more. The festival takes
place at the Exhibition Hall at The Seattle center.
10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday. Sunday Hours are
from noon – 6 p.m.
Sunday March 18
Saturday March 17
DISCOVER CAMA BEACH. Discover Cama Beach
Page 2 The Seattle Skanner March 14, 2012
will take place from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. in the honor
of State Parks 99th birthday. This event features
trail walks and beach walks, talks,
demonstrations, dancing to live music and much
more. Cama Beach State Park is located on
Camano Island.
Monday March 19
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY AND SECURITY
CLEARANCE JOB FAIR. A career fair for
experienced engineering and technology
professionals. Free admission, free parking. 10
a.m. – 3 p.m. Lynnwood Convention Center.
Tuesday March 20
DAFFODIL GIVEAWAY. Think spring! Pike place
market celebrates spring’s arrival with a daffodil
giveaway! From 11:15 – 11:45 a.m. at 4th & Pine
students from Pike Market Child Care and
Preschool will hand out flowers until they need to
return in time for lunch and a nap, other will stay
until 1 p.m. or when all flowers are gone.