Prosecutors wrap up case in Mass. terror trial

BOSTON – Prosecutors have wrapped up their case in the trial of a Massachusetts man accused of conspiring to help al-Qaida.

Tarek Mehanna, an American from Sudbury, Mass., is accused of traveling to Yemen to try to get terrorism training with the intention of fighting against U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Prosecutors say that when Mehanna was unable to find a camp, he returned home and began distributing materials promoting violent jihad.

The prosecution's final witness, a terrorism analyst, finished testifying Tuesday after an aggressive two-day, cross-examination by Mehanna's defense lawyers. Prosecutors are expected to formally rest their case Wednesday morning, when the defense could call its first witness.

Mehanna's lawyers say that he went to Yemen to look for religious schools and that his online activities were protected by the U.S. Constitution.