The defendants greeted the verdict by cursing America and praising Allah. One year and six days after a terrorist bomb blasted New York's World Trade Center, an anonymous federal jury last week found four Islamic fundamentalists guilty of causing the explosion that killed six people, injured more than 1,000 and brought Mideast terrorism smack into the heart of New York's financial district. "The verdict sends a clear message," said U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White. "We will not tolerate terrorism in this country." The four could get up to life in prison without parole. A fifth defendant, Ramzi Yousef, is thought to have fled the country. The Trade Center trial is only the first step in the government's case against the terror ring. Fifteen other Islamic extremists, including firebrand cleric Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, are charged with coconspiracy in the Trade Center bombing and a thwarted plot to bomb not only the United Nations but a bridge and tunnels connecting New York and New Jersey. Their trial starts September 15.
