Earlier in the trial, U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge had ruled in the strongest of terms that he wouldn't allow evidence against Sami Al-Hussayen in the form of thousands of postings to a Yahoo email group about Chechnya that came from others, just because Al-Hussayen had the title of "moderator" for the group. A Yahoo representative testified to the court that hundreds of people could have shared that moderator title.

Yet, just after the defense finished cross-examining the prosecution's lead witness this afternoon, the prosecution attempted to have its next witness, FBI Special Agent Michael Gneckow, testify about an unsolicited, blank email apparently sent to Al-Hussayen as a moderator of the group, in an effort to show his connection to the group.

The defense objected, and the judge blocked the exhibit, but Deitch already had described it in front of the jury.

The court then adjourned for the weekend. When the trial starts again at 9 a.m. Monday, prosecutors plan to present email postings that Al-Hussayen sent to the Yahoo group, including news clippings about events in Chechnya.

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