Jury selection under way in bomb plot case

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PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Jury selection is under way in the terrorism trial of a Portland, Ore., man accused of trying to blow up a Christmas tree lighting ceremony two years ago.

The FBI says Mohamed Mohamud communicated with undercover officers and ignited what he thought was a live bomb at the ceremony. Investigators said the bomb was a fake, but Mohamud's intentions were real.

Defense lawyers said the Somali-American was a victim of overzealous agents who entrapped Mohamud. They describe a vulnerable teenager who was sought out and groomed to be a jihadist by two undercover agents.

The (Portland) Oregonian said more than 100 potential jurors crowded U.S. District Judge Garr M. King's courtroom Thursday -- enough that Mohamud and assembled media were forced to watch proceedings on closed circuit television in another room.

Lawyers said the trial could last into February.