WWW . THESKANNER . COM
D ECEMBER 12, 2012
S EATTLE , W ASHINGTON
V OLUME XXXV, N O . 10
25
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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