Defense attorneys rest their case (September 11, 2007)
Jurors scrolled their eyes across the defense table on Tuesday, September 11, 2007, as each defense attorney stood up and rested their cases on behalf of their clients. The jury’s eyes moved toward prosecutor Jim Jacks who announced that the government closed their case without a rebuttal. The jury then looked at U.S. District Judge A. Joe Fish, who told them they have the remainder of the week off. Closing arguments will begin Monday, September 17, 2007.
Before the defense attorneys rested early in the day, the defense and prosecution took only 15 minutes to conclude the questioning of George Washington University professor Nathan Brown. Josh Dratel, Mohammad El-Mezain’s lawyer, made three major points clear during his redirect examination of Brown:
- Not all members of the Muslim Brotherhood are Hamas members.
- The zakat committees in occupied Palestine to which the Holy Land Foundation sent money are non-partisan and not political.
- The zakat committees are not controlled or operated by Hamas.
During his brief re-cross examination of Brown, prosecutor Nathan Garrett asked the academic if he knew anymore today than he knew yesterday. Brown’s response: No.