The Nation : Two Convicted in Bomb Smuggling Case

A federal jury in Burlington, Vt., convicted a Lebanese-born Canadian of smuggling a bomb into the United States and found a co-defendant guilty on related charges, including aiding and abetting the transport of explosive materials. After less than three hours of deliberations, jurors decided Walid Kabbani, 36, and Georges Fouad Younan, 45, worked together to bring the explosive device across the U.S.-Canadian border last Oct. 23. In addition, Kabbani was convicted of illegally entering the United States, while Younan was convicted of helping to smuggle an alien across the border. A third defendant, Walid Mourad, 38, pleaded guilty to lesser charges, including conspiracy, as part of a plea-bargain agreement when the trial opened Jan. 26. All three work in the garment business in Montreal, and all were born in Lebanon. The trial concluded without any indication as to where the three were going with the bomb or what they were planning to do with it.