Statements made by a man suspected of attempting to bomb a Martin Luther King, Jr., Day parade in Spokane, Wash., won’t be used in court because FBI agents failed to advise him of his Miranda rights after his arrest, Talking Points Memo reported.
Keven Harpham, who has ties to white supremacist groups, was subjected to “the functional equivalent of interrogation” for several hours before being told his rights, wrote District Judge Justin Quackenbush of the Eastern District of Washington in a ruling last week.
Responding to the judge’s disapproval of the failure to follow criminal procedure, prosecutors agreed not to use any of the statements made by Harpham before being told his rights.
Harpham’s arrest in January came the month after the Justice Department issued a memo saying that in special circumstances FBI agents could question terrorism suspects without first advising them of their rights. But because Quackenbush sealed the courtroom during an FBI agent’s testimony earlier in the trial, questions remain about any connection between the incident and memo.
