New trial for six accused of Sears Tower plot

MIAMI (Reuters) - Six men went on trial in Miami on Tuesday for a second time on charges they plotted to blow up the tallest American skyscraper, Chicago's Sears Tower, and several government offices on behalf of al Qaeda.

A jury failed in December to reach a verdict on the six and acquitted one co-defendant in a first trial, leading District Judge Joan Lenard to declare a mistrial.

The retrial of the group known as the "Liberty City Seven" after the poor Miami neighborhood where they met -- and now down to six -- began with jury selection, which was expected to last two weeks.

Lenard ordered that the jury remain anonymous after names of the jurors were leaked to defendants' family members in the previous trial.

The judge also barred all lawyers in the case from speaking to the media.

Last month's mistrial was seen as a setback for the Bush administration, which had called the arrest of the men in June 2006 a victory in the war on terrorism.

However, defense attorneys argued that the men were entrapped by paid FBI informants.

Narseal Batiste, who prosecutors said was the group's ringleader, testified in the first trial that he went along with the informants, posing as Middle Eastern contacts, in a bid to con them out of $50,000 to support an inner-city religious group.

At the time of the arrests, federal agents said the group's plans were "aspirational rather than operational," and posed no real threat because they had neither al Qaeda contacts nor the means of carrying out attacks.

The men could face up to 70 years in prison if convicted on allegations they took an oath of allegiance to Osama bin Laden's Islamic militant group and plotted to blow up FBI offices and the 110-story Sears Tower.

In addition to Batiste, the defendants are Patrick Abraham, Stanley Grant Phanor, Naudimar Herrera, Burson Augustin and Rotschild Augustine. Lyglenson Lemorin was acquitted in the first trial.

(Reporting by Claudia Boyd-Barrett; Editing by Michael Christie)