Lawyers for man accused of trying to bomb Dallas skyscraper to depose witnesses in Jordan

Lawyers to depose Dallas bomb suspect’s associates

DALLAS — Lawyers for a Jordanian man charged with trying to blow up a Dallas skyscraper plan to depose witnesses in Jordan who know the suspect.

A federal judge in Dallas last month granted a motion from Hosam Smadi’s attorneys that permits them to question their client’s Jordanian relatives and associates. Defense lawyers say the witnesses will portray the 20-year-old as a mentally ill man entrapped by federal agents.

Depositions must take place between March 22 and April 9.

Authorities accuse Smadi of leaving what he thought was a truck bomb in a garage beneath the 60-story Fountain Place building in downtown Dallas in September. The device was a decoy provided by FBI agents posing as al-Qaida operatives.

Information from: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, www.star-telegram.com