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Lacking a Tie to Jihadist Camp, Prosecution Rests

Prosecutors in the federal trial of Hamid Hayat, accused of having ties to al-Qaida in Pakistan in 2003, rest their case without offering direct evidence that Hayat attended a Jihadist training camp. Hayat, 23, is on trial in Sacramento. His father is charged with lying to federal officials about his son's activities.

Federal authorities first announced the arrest of an ice cream truck driver, Umer Hayat, and his son back in June. Officials claimed that they had uncovered a potential al-Qaida sleeper cell in the quiet farm town of Lodi, in the middle of California's central valley.

The prosecution rested its case after eight weeks of testimony. Hayat's defense is now under way.

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Richard Gonzales is NPR's National Desk Correspondent based in San Francisco. Along with covering the daily news of region, Gonzales' reporting has included medical marijuana, gay marriage, drive-by shootings, Jerry Brown, Willie Brown, the U.S. Ninth Circuit, the California State Supreme Court and any other legal, political, or social development occurring in Northern California relevant to the rest of the country.