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Defense Cites Ambiguities in Evidence Against Padilla

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"No," Goba replied.

"It was just a military training camp?"

"Yes."

The impact of this testimony clearly frustrated prosecutors.

"I think the jury is left with a false impression at this point," Frazier complained to the judge. "This was a terrorist training camp."

The prosecutors had asked to be allowed to introduce a video showing Osama bin Laden speaking to recruits at the camp Goba attended. But U.S. District Judge Marcia G. Cooke ruled that out after defense attorneys protested that the tape would be prejudicial.

"The video is out," she said.

Goba's testimony will continue on Monday.

Padilla became the face of the terrorist threat in the United States after he was arrested in May 2002 and was accused of being a "dirty bomber."

He was held for 3 1/2 years as an "enemy combatant," without charges. Some advocates said that criminal courts were not the appropriate forum to handle such a case, because the case is permeated, among other things, with so much clandestine and military information.

But after the Supreme Court seemed to tilt against holding U.S. citizens as "enemy combatants," Padilla was charged with conspiracy and transferred to the criminal court system.

One of the first witnesses showed the challenges of trying such a case.

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