DETROIT — A mentally ill Vietnam veteran is set to stand trial in Detroit on accusations he planned to attack a prominent mosque with fireworks.
The trial of Roger Stockham begins Tuesday with jury selection.
The 63-year-old Imperial Beach, Calif., man has spent much of the past three decades in prison or psychiatric hospitals.
Stockham was arrested Jan. 24 outside Dearborn's Islamic Center of America. Police say he wore a ski mask and had powerful illegal fireworks. He's charged with making a false report or threat of terrorism and possessing explosives with unlawful intent.
Stockham is a Muslim covert who says he planned to spray-paint a message protesting the Iraq war.
Defense lawyer Matthew Evans says the charges are overblown. He says Stockham wants "his day in court."
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