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Trial of Father and Son in Terror Probe Begins in California

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The trial of Umer and Hamid Hayat, a Pakistani father and son with alleged terrorist ties, begins Tuesday in California.

The Hayats were among five Pakistanis from the small town of Lodi who were arrested after a nearly three-year investigation. The others - two local imams and a religious leader's son - were deported to Pakistan for immigration violations.

A government indictment says Hamid, the son, attended an al-Qaida terrorist training camp in Pakistan sometime between October 2003 and November 2004. Prosecutors say Hamid returned to America with the intention of attacking U.S. targets, such as hospitals and supermarkets.

The Hayat family says Hamid went to Pakistan to find purpose and a wife.

Much of the government's case is based on approximately 1,000 hours of taped phone conversations between Hamid and a government informant.

The father, Umer Hayat, is charged with lying to the FBI about his son's alleged terrorist ties.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.
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