The Boston Globe is asking a federal judge to reverse an earlier ruling in the case against a western Massachusetts man accused of plotting to attack a college. The Globe wants access to an unredacted FBI video that prosecutors played in court.
Prosecutors played the video at Alexander Ciccolo’s bail hearing. That’s when they successfully argued the 23-year-old should be jailed until trial. It showed about ten minutes of Ciccolo’s interview with the FBI, including his comments in support of the self-proclaimed Islamic State.
Prosecutors later asked the judge to substitute the video that’s made public with one that obscures Ciccolo’s face, arguing that would make it a less effective recruiting tool for ISIS. Magistrate Judge Katherine Robertson granted the motion.
But in a court filing, the Boston Globe company notes the audio recording was already released without editing, and says prosecutors failed to prove that showing the defendant’s face would make the video a more effective recruiting tool for terrorists.
Watch the redacted video
Read the motion