MIAMI (AP) - An evaluation of suspected al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla has found him competent to stand trial on terrorism charges, government attorneys said in court documents filed Friday. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons' evaluation was not made public, but if the prosecution's description is accurate and U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke agrees, it removes another major obstacle to Padilla going on trial in April.Padilla can understand the court proceedings and communicate with his attorneys, according to prosecutors' description of the report's conclusions. ``The BOP report is thorough, detailed and unequivocal in its conclusion that Padilla is competent,'' the government said in its filing.
| You can be both competent and crazy. |
A competency hearing is set for next Friday.