Tampa terror plot suspect asks for trial delay

An attorney representing the Pinellas Park man accused of plotting terror attacks in Tampa has asked for a continuance of a trial now scheduled for March 5.

A. Fitzgerald Hall, an assistant federal public defender representing Sami Osmakac, said in a motion Tuesday that he needed more time to review a large amount of evidence in the case that he first received from the U.S. Attorney's Office on Feb. 17.

Hall asked that the trial be delayed until May.

The evidence includes police reports, in addition to audio and video recordings. Prosecutors have previously told the court they will use evidence gathered through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The act allows the government to monitor the international telephone calls and e-mails of American citizens.

Osmakac, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in present-day Kosovo, is charged with attempting to use weapons of mass destruction and possession of an unregistered machine gun. If convicted, he faces the possibility of life in prison.

Osmakac was arrested Jan. 7 and is accused of trying to buy guns and explosives to destroy targets in Tampa, including a Hillsborough Sheriff's Office operations center. His plans were thwarted when an acquaintance reported him to the FBI.