Brown Says Jose Pimentel Should Be Tried In Military Court System, Calls On Congress To Pass 'Enemy Expatriation Act'

Press Release

After Saturday's arrest of Jose Pimentel, who was charged with plotting terrorist attacks in New York City, U.S. Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) issued the following statement calling for Congress to pass the Enemy Expatriation Act [S. 1698]:

"I applaud New York City law enforcement for foiling the deadly bombing plot of domestic terrorist Jose Pimentel. As domestic terror plots continue to surface, I call upon Congress to pass my Enemy Expatriation Act to give our law enforcement officials the tools they need to stay ahead of the evolving threat of radical extremism. Under my bill, terrorists like Pimentel could be transferred to the military court system so military and intelligence officers could gain any information that would help prevent another terrorist attack. The consequences for betraying our country in wartime have always been severe, and citizens who commit treason by engaging in domestic terrorism should be treated like the enemies they seek to aid."

Background

Earlier this year, Senator Brown joined Senator Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) in introducing the bipartisan Enemy Expatriation Act [S. 1698], which would update existing federal law to account for U.S. citizens who engage in terrorist activities. Recent domestic terror plots against the United States include:

Rezwan Ferdaus of Ashland, Massachusetts, plotted to attack Washington, DC, with remote-controlled powered explosives.

Tarek Mehanna of Sudbury, Massachusetts, is currently on trial for several charges, including conspiring to support Al Qaeda.

The September 2009 shooting at Ft. Hood, where Nidal Malik Hasan killed 13 people and wounded 29 others.

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