The former “enemy combatant” Jose Padilla has been convicted in one of the most closely watched trials since the Sept. 11 attacks. On Thursday, a Miami jury found Padilla and two co-defendants guilty of conspiracy to commit murder in Bosnia, Kosovo and Chechnya and providing material support toward that goal. Padilla originally made international headlines in 2002 when President Bush declared him an enemy combatant for allegedly plotting to set off a radioactive dirty bomb inside the United States. He was stripped of all rights, transferred to a Navy brig in South Carolina and held in extreme isolation for 43 months. The Bush administration denied him access to an attorney for two years. Faced with a Supreme Court challenge, President Bush finally announced criminal charges far less serious than the public allegations made at the time of Padilla’s capture. Defense attorneys argued that Padilla was unfit to stand trial and that the indictment should be dismissed because of outrageous government conduct. Forensic psychiatrist Angela Hegarty told Democracy Now yesterday the effects of the extreme isolation on Padilla are consistent with brain damage. After the verdict, Deputy Attorney General Craig Morford said justice had been served.

Deputy Attorney General Craig Morford: “It’s very important to emphasize that cases like this one are central to the United States government’s efforts to neutralize the threat posed by terrorists and those who support them. I also want to mention that this particular case has long demonstrated the importance of integrating intelligence and traditional law enforcement tools in order to protect and preserve national security, and I think it stands as a great example of what can be accomplished when those things are combined.”