A federal judge acknowledged on Monday, March 31, that Mohammad Hamdan, who was allegedly planning to leave the country to join Hizbullah’s fight in Syria, had no intention to harm America or Americans. The judge described the suspect as a “confused young man” yet denied him bond on the premise that he might flee.

However, a question must be posed: Does this confused young man have the capabilities to defy U.S. border patrol and immigration officers and leave the country if he is ordered to wear a tethering GPS device on his ankle? In all probability, the answer is no. 

By denying Hamdan bond, the judge presumed the suspect guilty until proven innocent. The reckless remarks made by Hamdan about planning to join Hizbullah were taped by an opportunistic FBI informant, who sought to sort out his own immigration problems with the federal government at Hamdan’s expense.

According to Hamdan’s mother, the informant, whom the suspect considered a friend, offered to give Hamdan money to travel to Lebanon and introduce him to his brother who is active with Hizbullah. The confused young man was being set up and taken advantage of.

Additionally, Hamdan, a social drinker who has faced marijuana possession charges, is not exactly the kind of candidate Hizbullah, an Islamist organization, would welcome into its ranks.

However, after he became a brief media obsession, Hamdan was portrayed to the public as a guilty man because most media presented only the FBI’s side of the story. Out of laziness or complicity with the FBI’s agenda, most media outlets did not bother to tell Americans all the facts that speak to Hamdan’s innocence.

With the irresponsible media coverage that victimized Hamdan and the entire Arab American community, we wonder if Hamdan will ever get a fair trial.