Accused Mass. Terror Suspect Renews Bid for Bail

BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts man accused in a terror plot to kill Americans is asking a judge to release him on bail as he awaits trial.

Tarek Mehanna is being held without bail on charges that include conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, al-Qaida. Prosecutors say Mehanna conspired with two other men to kill American troops in Iraq, assassinate two unnamed U.S. politicians and shoot shoppers in U.S. malls.

Authorities say the men never came close to pulling off an attack but did seek training at terrorist camps in the Middle East.

Mehanna's lawyers have said prosecutors built their case on anti-American statements made by Mehanna when he was in college. His lawyers plan to renew their request for bail during a hearing scheduled for Wednesday in U.S. District Court.