Jurors in New Mexico convict extended family on kidnapping charges; 2 convicted on terrorism charges

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Jurors have convicted four members of an extended family in New Mexico on federal kidnapping charges. Two of the defendants were also convicted on related terrorism charges. The case stems from the search for a 3-year-old boy by agents who raided the family’s squalid encampment in 2018. Jurors reached their decision Tuesday after deliberating for two-and-a-half days. They heard weeks of testimony from children who had lived with their parents at the compound, other family members, firearms experts, doctors and forensic technicians. The defendants, who are Muslim, argued that federal authorities targeted them because of their religion.