U.S. Muslim Brotherhood organizations have begun responding to the mistrial in the Holy Land terrorism financing case. Apparently choosing to portray the mistrial as an acquittal, a press release from the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) stated:
“After 19 days of deliberation, the jurors did not return even a single guilty verdict on any of the almost 200 charges against these men, whose only ‘crime’ was providing food, clothing and shelter to Palestinian women and children. It seems clear that the majority of the jury agreed with many observers of the trial who believe the charges were built on fear, not facts. This is a stunning defeat for prosecutors and a victory for America’s legal system. “The American Muslim community will continue to fight for justice and for the right to help those who are in need, whether in this nation or overseas. Today’s developments in the HLF case send the message that a hard-working jury of ordinary Americans will weigh the facts objectively and will resist pressure to convict based on guilt by association. Charitable giving should be honored, not criminalized.” Ahmed added that this is just the latest defeat for government prosecutors in such cases. Similar conspiracy charges brought in Illinois and Florida found little traction with jurors.
As part of the trial, CAIR was named as an unindicted co-conspirator and documents revealed that the organizational was an inegral part of the U.S Muslim Brotherhood.