A federal judge ordered federal prosecutors Tuesday to reveal how much they paid an informant who recorded evidence during a terrorism investigation that led to the arrest of five Portland residents. U.S. District Judge Robert Jones also ordered U.S. Attorney Charles Gorder to reveal whether Khalid Ibrahim Mostafa, an Egyptian-born mechanic, had worked as an informant before and for which law enforcement agencies. The judge’s orders came during the first day of two days of evidence hearings in U.S. District Court, the first substantial developments in the case since the five defendants were arrested last October. Defense attorneys plan to challenge evidence collected under the warrants issued by the ultra-secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court, or “spy court.” The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was passed in 1978 as a way to fight Cold War espionage. Attorneys are also challenging aspects of the USA Patriot Act, which was passed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. It expanded the spy court’s power. The defendants, who are accused of conspiring to support al-Qaida and the Taliban, are entitled to every piece of information the government has collected about them, defense attorneys say. Full Story
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