Judge upholds FISA warrant in Seattle terror case

SEATTLE — A federal judge says investigators followed proper procedures when they obtained a secret warrant against a Seattle terror suspect.

Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif is charged with plotting to attack a military recruiting station last year. His lawyers asked U.S. District Judge James Robart to throw out some of the evidence against him, saying the government should not have been able to obtain any warrants under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act because there was no indication he was involved in international terrorism.

Robart refused. After reviewing classified materials submitted by the government, he said in a ruling last week that investigators did have reason to believe they were collecting “foreign intelligence information” and they presented such information to the special court that handles Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants.

Abdul-Latif’s trial is set for next March.