This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/americas/6558489.stm

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Key US terror trial set to begin Key terror trial opens in Florida
(about 23 hours later)
The trial of a man once suspected of planning to detonate a radioactive bomb in the United States is due to begin in Florida on Monday. Proceedings are under way in the US state of Florida in the trial of a man once suspected by the US of plotting to detonate a "dirty bomb".
Jose Padilla, a US citizen, denies aiding terrorists and conspiracy to murder US nationals overseas. Jose Padilla, a US citizen, is accused of aiding Islamic extremists and conspiracy to murder US nationals overseas. He denies the charges.
The original allegations of "dirty bombing" do not feature in this trial. Mr Padilla was held without charge in a US military jail for over three years.
The 36-year-old was held in 2002 after arriving from Pakistan and spent more than three years in military detention at a US naval base without charge. The 36-year-old was arrested at Chicago's O'Hare Airport in May 2002 after he returned from Pakistan.
Torture claims At that time, US officials said that they had thwarted an al-Qaeda plot to detonate a radioactive bomb in a major city, but these allegations have now been dropped.
The US government has branded Mr Padilla an "enemy combatant" and says he travelled abroad to train as a terrorist and planned to murder US citizens overseas. Two other men - Adham Amin Hassoun and Kifah Wael Jayyousi - are being tried alongside Mr Padilla.
Mr Padilla, also known as Abdullah al-Muhajir, was held at a naval base in South Carolina, where his lawyers claim he was tortured, something that the US authorities deny. 'Supported al-Qaeda'
The case is expected to set the stage for a fierce fight between civil liberties groups and the administration of US President George W Bush. As jury selection got under way, Judge Marcia Cooke told prosecutors not to try to link the case to the 11 September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.
The case will start with jury selection, something Mr Padilla's lawyers say will be difficult. But prosecutor John Shipley said that testimony would link the defendants with extremism.
Jose Padilla denies all the charges and could face life in prison if convicted. "They certainly supported al-Qaeda, there's no question about that," he said.
Mr Padilla, a former Chicago gang member of Puerto Rican descent, is a convert to Islam.
The US government, which once branded him an "enemy combatant", says he provided money and recruits to Islamic extremists.
It also alleges he travelled overseas to train as a terrorist and aimed to carry out "violent jihad".
After his arrest in 2002, Mr Padilla was held at a US base in South Carolina where, he says, he was tortured. US officials deny that he was abused.
The BBC's Andy Gallacher in Miami says that the case is expected to set the stage for a fierce fight between civil liberties groups and the administration of US President George W Bush.
Mr Padilla could face life in prison if convicted.