VOA标准英语2009年-Massachusetts Man Allegedly Conspired to A

By Jim Malone
Washington
21 October 2009

Federal law enforcement officials have charged a Massachusetts man with conspiracy¹ to provide material support to terrorists. Prosecutors³ allege⁴ the arrested man sought terror training overseas and discussed a plot to launch a shooting attack on a U.S. shopping mall. 

 
Tarek Mehanna, 27, of Sudbury after he was arrested and charged with conspiring⁵ with others to plot terror attacks, 21 Oct 2009
Tarek Mehanna, 27, was arrested at his home in a suburb of Boston.

Acting⁶ U.S. Attorney Michael Loucks told a Boston news conference that between 2001 and 2008 Mehanna and his co-conspirators⁷ had allegedly discussed their desire to take part in Islamist Holy War and die on the battlefield.

"He and his co-conspirators discussed what to do and took steps in furtherance of and support for terrorism including trips overseas in an effort to join training camps and to fight and kill American soldiers," said Louck.

The travel included a stop in Yemen where Mehanna hoped to get terrorist training but was turned down.

Prosecutor² Loucks also says Mehanna and his associates talked about the logistics of targeting innocent civilians⁹ at a shopping mall in 2003.

"Efforts to find and obtain automatic weapons to conduct the killing¹⁰ of Americans in shopping malls here in the United States, and the viewing and dissemination¹¹ of jihad films showing the killing of American soldiers," added Loucks.

But Loucks said the idea for an attack on a shopping mall was dropped after Mehanna and his cohorts were unable to get the automatic weapons they wanted to use.

Prosecutors say there are two unnamed cooperating witnesses in the case who at times recorded Mehanna, including discussions about killing high-ranking U.S. government officials.

Loucks would not identify the officials but said they were never directly endangered by the alleged⁸ conspirators.

"It is alleged that Mehanna was involved in discussion about exploring other options such as shooting and killing one or two specific members of the Executive Branch of the United States government," continued Loucks.

Mehanna was previously¹² indicted¹³ earlier this year and charged with making false statements in connection with a terrorism investigation¹⁴.

If convicted of providing material support to terrorists, Mehanna would face up to 15 years in prison.

The Boston case comes only weeks after the arrest of Najibullah Zazi, an Afghan-born man and permanent U.S. resident accused of plotting a bomb attack on the United States.

Zazi pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and is being held in prison without bail¹⁵.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder¹⁶ called the alleged Zazi plot one of the most serious security threats in the U.S. since the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks.

1 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

2 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

3 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

4 allege   

vt.宣称，申述，主张，断言

参考例句：

• The newspaper reporters allege that the man was murdered but they have given no proof.新闻记者们宣称这个男人是被谋杀的，但他们没提出证据。
• Students occasionally allege illness as the reason for absence.学生时不时会称病缺课。

5 conspiring   

密谋( conspire的现在分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致

参考例句：

• They were accused of conspiring against the king. 他们被指控阴谋反对国王。
• John Brown and his associates were tried for conspiring to overthrow the slave states. 约翰·布朗和他的合伙者们由于密谋推翻实行奴隶制度的美国各州而被审讯。

6 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

7 conspirators   

n.共谋者，阴谋家( conspirator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The conspirators took no part in the fighting which ensued. 密谋者没有参加随后发生的战斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The French conspirators were forced to escape very hurriedly. 法国同谋者被迫匆促逃亡。 来自辞典例句

8 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

9 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

10 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

11 dissemination   

传播,宣传,传染(病毒)

参考例句：

• The dissemination of error does people great harm. 谬种流传，误人不浅。
• He was fully bent upon the dissemination of Chinese culture all over the world. 他一心致力于向全世界传播中国文化。

12 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

13 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

14 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

15 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

16 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。