Padilla Brought to Face Civilian Charges

"MIAMI (AP) - Jose Padilla, the alleged al-Qaida operative held as an "enemy combatant" for more than three years, was taken from a Navy brig and put on a plane to Miami on Thursday to face terrorism charges in civilian court, The Associated Press has learned.

The transfer took place after a legal battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court.

Padilla was taken from a brig in South Carolina and put on a flight to the federal detention center in Miami, according to two federal law enforcement officials, speaking on condition of anonymity. He was scheduled to appear in federal court later in the day, which would mark his first time before a judge since his arrest.

Padilla, a former Chicago gang member, has been held by the Bush administration without criminal charges since his arrest at Chicago's O'Hare Airport in late 2001 on suspicion of plotting to detonate a radioactive "dirty bomb" inside the United States."
MyWay