Lawyers for Padilla fight against life sentence

MIAMI - Defense lawyers raised more than 90 objections Tuesday to a report recommending life in prison for Jose Padilla and two other men convicted last summer of terrorism conspiracy and other charges.

The legal battle over a presentence report marked the opening of a lengthy sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke, who must decide whether the three deserve life behind bars.

Defense lawyers say the report contains numerous inaccuracies and mischaracterizations of evidence presented during a three-month trial, leading to unduly harsh sentencing recommendations. Prosecutors say the objections were an attempt to undermine the jury's guilty verdicts.

After hours of argument, the court adjourned until today. The hearing could last all week.

Padilla, a 37-year-old Muslim convert who grew up in Chicago, was convicted in August along with Adham Amin Hassoun, 45, and Kifah Wael Jayyousi, 46, of being part of a North American terrorism-support cell providing money, recruits and supplies to al-Qaida and other radical groups.

Padilla has been in custody since his May 2002 arrest on what authorities said at the time was an al-Qaida mission to detonate a "dirty bomb." He was held as an enemy combatant without criminal charge until 2005, when he was added to the existing Miami terrorism support case. The "dirty bomb" allegations were discarded.

The men face life in prison because they were convicted of the most serious charge of conspiracy to murder, kidnap and maim people overseas. No specific acts of terrorism or violence were tied to them, however.

Padilla says he was tortured during his time in custody, which Bush administration officials have repeatedly denied.

[Last modified January 9, 2008, 01:40:30]