AP News, December 1st, 2007
Jurors began deliberations Friday in the case of a former Andrews Air Force Base security guard accused of failing to include his Muslim name on a background check to hide his ties to a controversial imam.
Darrick Michael Jackson is accused of not listing "Abdul-Jalil Mohammed" as an alias on a federal form required for private guards who work at the Maryland base, used to fly the president and other dignitaries in and out of Washington.
Jurors deliberated for about five hours without reaching a verdict. Deliberations were scheduled to resume Monday. Jackson is charged with making a false statement and could face five years in prison if convicted.
During closing arguments Friday, prosecutors said the omission was an effort by Jackson to conceal his link to Imam Abdul Alim Musa and the Masjid Al-Islam mosque in southeast Washington.
Some of Musa's public comments have included praise for Palestinian suicide bombers and a paraphrasing of the former 1960s Black Panther H. Rap Brown, now known as Jamil Al-Amin, saying, "We're going to burn America down."
Jackson already worked at Andrews when he was required to fill out the background check form in 2005 after the base hired a new private security contractor.
Jackson knew that using his Muslim name would lead federal investigators to the mosque and sink his chances of holding on to his job at the tightly guarded base, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Salem told jurors.
Jackson's attorney, John Chamble, said Jackson only used the name Mohammed in the context of the mosque, and that he didn't think his religious name was needed on the background check.
Chamble railed at the government, saying it was trying Jackson for his religious and political beliefs.
Chamble denied claims that Jackson lived a covert life, saying he did little to hide his Muslim identity from co-workers or his employer. He put his e-mail address that contained the word "Jalil" on his job application, listed mosque members as references, and openly spoke about his faith at the job, Chamble said.
Musa, who is not charged in the case, did not immediately return a phone message left Friday at the mosque.
