U.S. Wins Court Ruling in 'Dirty Bomb' Case
By Richard A. Serrano Times Staff Writer2 hours, 6 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court ruled Friday that Jose Padilla, held
for more than three years after federal officials said he planned to set off
radiological devices, or "dirty bombs," could be detained indefinitely
without trial.

The unanimous decision by a panel of the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals
significantly boosts the Bush administration's program of jailing key Al
Qaeda and Taliban suspects without filing criminal charges or holding
trials - whether the detainees were Americans arrested in the U.S. or
citizens of other countries seized abroad - in an effort to squeeze
intelligence information from alleged terrorist operatives.

The ruling could have major implications for detainees at the U.S. naval
base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where many, like Padilla, have been deemed
"enemy combatants." Judge J. Michael Luttig wrote the decision for the
three-member panel in Richmond, Va. He is considered to be on President
Bush's short list of candidates to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court.

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