Conviction of Would-Be Christmas Tree Bomber Upheld

"The complete lack of reluctance on Mohamud's part to participate in the bombing - indeed his immediate zeal to see it through - separates this case from those in which courts have found defendants entrapped as a matter of law."

That was the ruling of a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in upholding the conviction of Mohamed Mohamud for trying to detonate a bomb during the 2010 Holiday Tree lighting at Pioneer Courthouse Square.

Mohamud, who thought he was detonating a fertilizer bomb in a van parked next to the square where 25,000 people were gathered, was quickly arrested by the FBI. The entire operation had been coordinated by the bureau.

Mohamud's lawyers have argued that their client was the victim of entrapment and illegal surveillance.

The three-judge panel found that while prosecutors were overly aggressive, they had not been guilty of misconduct.

Mohamud's lawyers are expected to appeal the panel's decision to either the whole Circuit Court of Appeals or the U.S. Supreme Court.