Jury tells of its burden, asks privacy

The following statement was released yesterday by the jury in the federal Fort Dix terrorism trial. The panel members, who remained anonymous, heard eight weeks of testimony and deliberated for 38 hours over six days.

The American judicial system is a precious and fragile thing, and it works based on the principles of presumed innocence and the burden of proof. It has always been the case that all accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty, and that proof of guilt rests solely on the evidence and testimony provided by the government and the prosecution.

For the 12 of us jurors involved in these deliberations, this has been one of the most difficult things that we have ever had to do. During these last six days, we have held the fate of these five defendants in our hands, and we have not reached our conclusions lightly. The burden imposed on us has been heavy, but we are confident that our verdict has been reached fairly and impartially.

Now that the trial has concluded, and our unanimous verdict reached, we are glad to be going home to our families and loved ones. We ask that our privacy be respected. Those of us that wish to contact the press will do so directly. Thank you for your patience.

Jurors 1 through 12

Alternates 1, 2, 4, 5, 6