Trooper testifies about jihad materials in home

BOSTON – A state trooper has testified about jihadist materials found in the bedroom of a Massachusetts man charged with conspiring to help al-Qaida.

Tarek Mehanna is accused of traveling to Yemen to seek terrorist training. Prosecutors say when that failed, he returned home and became part of the "media wing" of al-Qaida by translating and distributing materials promoting violent jihad over the Internet.

Trooper Thomas Sarrouf, the first prosecution witness, testified Friday about items found in Mehanna's room during a court-authorized clandestine search of his parents' Sudbury home. He said authorities found videos depicting jihadist scenes and written materials describing al-Qaida training.

Mehanna's lawyers say Mehanna vented his anger over the U.S. invasion of Iraq over the Internet, activities they say were protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.