Audience of the New Yorker accused of terrorism is postponed for March 1

The hearing in the case of José Pimentel, who the authorities of New York State as a supporter of the network Al Qaeda that was planning attacks in the city, was postponed until March 1 at the request of the defence.

Pimentel, a U.S. citizen of Dominican origin, did not attend yesterday before the Criminal Court of Manhattan where he was scheduled to hold a hearing, and still in prison without bail, according to the Prosecutor's Office in Manhattan.

The new lawyers of Pimentel, for 27 years, Laurie Cohen and Susan Walsh, asked the Court to hearing delayed to March 1 to prepare the case, according to said a spokesman for the Office of the Prosecutor in Manhattan, Cyrus Vance.

Authorities accuse Pimentel, arrested last November after two years of surveillance, and which have recently had converted to Islam, on charges of conspiracy to make a bomb for terrorist purposes and for weapons possession for u000acommit an attack.

On March 1 could happen that the grand jury will present charges against Pimentel following what the law of New York for crimes serious as those faced by the accused, that this is declared guilty, or to withdraw the charges.

According to the New York authorities, Pimentel is a "lone wolf" who learned to make bombs in a magazine from Al Qaeda on the internet, "impaired" by the presence of troops of United States in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The accused, who lived most of his life in the neighborhood of Washington Heights in northern Manhattan, had targeted to employees of the Government, retired military personnel and elected politicians, and was in the process of making bombs to attack police patrols and offices of postal city.

Also reported following his arrest which had expressed its intention to change her name to Osama Hussein to acquaintances "in honor of his two idols", u000athe exlíder of Al-Qaeda Osama Bin Laden and former Iraqi dictator hissene Saddam Husein.

The case of Pimentel is the second which is processed at the Criminal Court in Manhattan under the nine terrorism laws passed after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The first case involves Ahmed Ferhani and Mohamed Mamdouh, arrested in May last year accused authorities of attempting to commit a terrorist in the city, attack and the next hearing is scheduled for 31 January.

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