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WWW . THESKANNER . COM D ECEMBER 12, 2012 S EATTLE , W ASHINGTON V OLUME XXXV, N O . 10 25 CENTS For The Skanner news alerts Text "NEWS" to 503-715-0890 or scan this QR code C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW Seattle Terror Plot NEWLY WEDS Abu Khalid Abdul- Latif, 35, pleads guilty to planning attack By Manuel Valdes The Associated Press PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED Kim Hardy and Jayda Evans were third in line to apply for a marriage license Dec. 6 at the King County Administration Building. Starting at midnight on the 6th, gay couples in Washington could apply for the first time for marriage licenses. Same-Sex Couples Take Vows King and Thurston County courthouses opened right at midnight By Rachel La Corte The Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Same- sex couples in Washington state began reciting wedding vows at events across the state Sunday, on the first day they could marry after the state’s gay marriage law took effect. Last month, Washington, Maine and Maryland became the first states to pass same- sex marriage by popular vote. They joined six other states — New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hamp- shire, Vermont — and the Dis- trict of Columbia that had already enacted laws or issued court rulings permitting same- sex marriage. About 140 couples had reg- istered to marry at Seattle City Hall, which had set up five separate chapels to accommo- date the revelers. Starting at 10 a.m., cheers and applause reg- ularly broke out as another couple’s marriage became official. Weddings at city hall were to continue through 5 p.m. Mayor Mike McGinn, who greeted couples at they arrived, called it a ``great day, a joyous day.’’ ``It’s really wonderful,’’ he said. ``A new civil right is going to be recognized in this great civil institution.’’ Keith Bacon and Corianton Hale of Seattle, who celebrat- ed their six-year anniversary the night before, hugged and kissed to loud cheers and cam- era flashes as they took their vows before one of the 16 local judges who volunteered to officiate the weddings on Sunday. ``We’re totally thrilled,’’ Bacon said. The couple had done a commitment ceremony in August but said this day was particularly special. ``We had looked at this as maybe a day we would sign a piece of paper and seal the deal, and instead we’re having this huge party being thrown in our honor,’’ Bacon said. ``It’s just mind blowing.’’ Nancy Monahan, 57, a retired petty office with the Coast Guard, waited outside SEATTLE (AP) — A man pleaded guilty Thursday to plotting an attack on a Seattle military complex with machine guns and grenades. Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif, 35, agreed to a prison sentence between 17 and 19 years, the U.S. attorney’s office in Seattle said. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder U.S. officers and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and is scheduled to be sen- tenced in March. Abdul-Latif was arrested June 22, 2011, along with an acquaintance from Los Ange- les, when authorities said they arrived at a Seattle warehouse garage to pick up machine guns and grenades to use in the attack. Investigators had set up the buy after a confidential informant alerted authorities of the men’s plan. In conversations the FBI recorded with the help of the informant, Abdul-Latif and his co-defendant, Walli Mujahidh, discussed how they wanted to gun down people in the Military Entrance Processing Station in south Seattle as revenge for atrocities by U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, prosecutors said. The military complex houses a federal daycare center. Mujahidh, 33, pleaded guilty in the case in December 2011. ``This defendant plotted to kill American servicemen and women, and other innocent people in furtherance of his extremist views,’’ U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan said of Abdul-Latif in a statement. ``The contin- ued vigilance of the community and the work of law enforcement ensured that we were able to successfully disrupt his deadly plan and bring Mr. Abdul-Latif to justice.’’ Emails to Abdul-Latif’s defense attorneys were not immediately returned. In June, the defense lawyers filed motions seeking to get some of the prosecution’s evi- dence thrown out, saying the government See VOWS on page 3 See PLOT on page 3 INDEX News .....................2,3,8 Calendar ....................2 Opinion .......................4 A&E .............................5 Bids/Classifieds............7 Online Sex Trafficking Law Struck Down Law passed ‘despite obvious potential to curtail legitimate speech’ Manuel Valdes The Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — A Washington state law aimed at battling online sex trafficking is likely to be struck down after state Attor- ney General Rob McKenna declined to con- tinue a legal fight over the measure in federal court. McKenna’s office said Friday that it will not continue its defense of Engrossed Sen- ate Bill 6252, one of several measures writ- ten by lawmakers earlier this year to combat online sex trafficking. Gov. Chris Gregoire signed the bill, aimed at online classified site Backpage.com, into law in March. The law was challenged by Backpage.com and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an internet advocacy group. In July, U.S. District Judge Ricardo Mar- tinez issued a temporary injunction block- ing the law from taking effect. The settle- ment this week paves the way for the block to become permanent. The Electronic Frontier Foundation sued on behalf of online library Internet Archive, arguing that targeting Internet service providers was unconstitutional and violated See LAW on page 3
