Closing Arguments Set In Blogger Beheading Plot Trial
BOSTON (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Attorneys are set to make their final pitches to jurors in the case of a man accused of participating in a plot to behead conservative blogger Pamela Geller.
Closing arguments in David Wright's trial are expected Tuesday in Boston's federal courthouse.
Prosecutors say Wright plotted with his uncle and a third man to kill Geller on behalf of the Islamic State group. The blogger had angered some Muslims after organizing a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Garland. The competition featured adaptations of the Islamic prophet.
Prosecutors say Wright encouraged his uncle to instead go after police officers. Wright's uncle was killed after he approached officers with a knife in 2015.
Wright testified that he shared Islamic State propaganda online because he was desperate for attention, but insists that he didn't support the terror group. Wright said discussions about attacks were just "trash talk."
The 2015 cartoon contest turned deadly when two suspects opened fire outside the Curtis Culwell Center during the exhibit. The suspects fired at an unarmed Garland Independent School District security guard, hitting him in the leg. A Garland police officer standing near the guard returned fire and killed both men.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
