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Salvador Judge Orders American Casolo Held Preparatory to Trial

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TIMES STAFF WRITERS

A Salvadoran judge on Friday ordered American church worker Jennifer Jean Casolo and six other people to remain in prison while a military court prepares to try them on terrorism charges.

Judge Guillermo Romero Hernandez ruled that there is sufficient evidence to hold Casolo on charges stemming from a Nov. 25 raid on her house, where police say they found a cache of rebel weapons buried in the back yard.

The judge’s ruling is not a decision to try Casolo. Romero has another 90 days to determine whether there is enough evidence for a trial.

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Casolo’s attorney, Salvador Ibarra, said he will appeal the detention order. He said the judge has failed to show any proof that tied Casolo to the weapons.

Casolo was arrested with two friends who were visiting her the night of the raid. Five other people named in the judge’s order were arrested two days earlier, and one of them allegedly implicated Casolo. All are charged with acts of terrorism, possession of war weapons, illicit association and subversive association.

According to police reports made available to The Times, the other five men and women are accused of belonging to the People’s Revolutionary Army, one of five groups that make up the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, which is fighting a guerrilla war to oust the U.S.-backed government. Their inclusion in the case appears to be an effort by authorities to strengthen and broaden the complaint against Casolo.

The judge based his ruling on a three-page police report that describes the raid on Casolo’s house. Police authorities say agents unearthed more than 20,000 rounds of ammunition, grenades and explosives.

Also vital to the government’s case is a videotape that police made the night of the raid. It shows agents pulling sacks of bullets and explosives out of an underground tunnel in Casolo’s garden. It also shows snapshots that police say were buried with the weapons and which allegedly depict Casolo and members of a U.S. congressional delegation.

Casolo denies all of the accusations against her.

Casolo’s arrest came amid the largest guerrilla offensive in the 10-year war and a subsequent government crackdown on church groups, foreigners working for humanitarian agencies and Salvadoran dissidents.

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On Friday, the Legislative Assembly voted to extend a nationwide state of emergency for another 30 days.

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