Boston, MA – A Massachusetts man accused of conspiring to kill American troops in Iraq is due in court for a final hearing before his trial begins.
Tarek Mehanna of Sudbury is scheduled to go on trial October 24 on charges that include providing material support to terrorists.
Prosecutors say Mehanna sought training in a terrorist camp in Yemen and translated a publication entitled "39 Ways to Serve and Participate in Jihad," Muslim holy war.
Mehanna's lawyers say his activities amounted to free speech protected by the First Amendment.
Mehanna has a final status conference scheduled Thursday in U.S. District Court.
In motions filed in court last week, Mehanna's lawyers asked a judge to suppress files allegedly found on his computers, including a video showing the mutilation of dead American soldiers in Iraq.
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