point.
âAll I know is that, personally, I would have used a little different approach,â Will replied. âBut to answer your question specificallyâIâm not going to say that you blew it. And Iâm certainly not going to say that you violated the law.â
Gilead chuckled a bit. âMr. Chambers, I donât mean to be disrespectful. But do you lawyers always talk like that? Fail to say exactly what you mean?â
Will replied with a smile, âWe avoid sweeping generalizations. We try to define our terms. And we try to talk cautiously because words have power.â
Will was preparing to conclude the interview. But one final thought had occurred to him.
âSomething else,â he asked in conclusion. âAbout the detainer being placed on you by the federal authorities because of this terrorism thingâI heard that you traveled to the Middle East last year. What was that all about?â
âMy father was from Egypt. He had relatives in Jordan. I visited them summer before last.â
âWhere in the Middle East did you go?â
âJerusalem for a while, mostly sightseeing. Then I crossed the border into Jordan. It was a very short tripâabout a week or so.â
âWhereâd you get the money for the trip?â
Gilead studied Will carefully before he answered.
âIt was donated to me.â
When Will was finished, he shook hands with his client, assuring him he would do his very best to get him out of jail as soon as possible and would then start preparing for his trial in district court on the charge of disorderly conduct.
On the way back to his office, Will called the U.S. Attorneyâs Office in Washington, DC. He wanted to contact the assistant U.S. attorney assigned to the terrorism unitâthe person responsible for placing the hold on Hassan Gilead Amahn.
After making a few phone calls, he left a message for a Susan Kastone. A few minutes later she called him back, while he was still en route.
After introducing himself as Gileadâs attorney, Will quickly addressed the hold issue.
âWhen are you going to lift the federal detention order on my client? Thereâs no question that heâs not only not a terrorist, but has never had anything to do with any terrorist organizations,â Will said firmly.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Kastone was unimpressed.
âIâm not sure whenâor ifâweâre going to be lifting the hold,â she replied. âWhen it happens, weâll let you know.â
âWell, with all due respect, Ms. Kastone, thatâs not acceptable. My client has to prepare for his misdemeanor trial. Heâs entitled to bail. But for the federal interference by your office, he would have had his parents sign the recognizance bond and heâd be out already. You canât hold somebody indefinitely on vague, unfounded suspicionsââ
âWhat makes you think theyâre unfounded?â
âAll rightâconvince me,â Will replied. âWhat reasonable suspicion do you have that Hassan Gilead Amahn has any ties to any terrorist organization or activity? Iâd like to hear the evidence.ActuallyâI would like to hear one single scintilla of evidence. One scrap of information.â
âWeâre not required to tell you that,â Kastone said. âAnd as a result, it would be inappropriate for me to comment. An investigation is underway. As we get closer to a decision on whether or not weâre going to file charges against Mr. Amahn, we will advise you accordingly. We have your contact numbers. Weâll be in touch.â
After this conversation, Will could see only two alternatives as a possible explanation for the mysterious hold placed on Gilead.
First, Gileadâs Middle Eastern background, coupled with his presence at the controversial lecture given by Sheikh Mudahmid at the Islamic Center and his recent travel to the Middle East, had