2010-08-12 10:26

Zhai's passport, scrawled by US authorities, was displayed at a press conference in Beijing, Aug 11, 2010.[Photo/CFP]

While the charge of aggravated harassment against Zhai was dismissed, the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, which initially wanted to push for a grand jury trial against Zhai for his alleged terroristic threats, had also been talking to Zhai's lawyers, April Petersen and Hai Ming, for a plea bargain. If Zhai was willing to accept a plea bargain, the prosecutor would only charge him with a misdemeanor.

But Zhai wanted to pursue a full acquittal, although his lawyers said they hoped he would accept the plea bargain.

"Zhai said he would regret pleading guilty. He believes he was totally innocent," said Hai.

Hai said Zhai is ready to come back to the US to prove his innocence if the New Jersey Superior Court opens his case.

Both Hai and Wang Meiying, whose restaurant outside the Stevens Institute in Hoboken was frequented by Zhai, described Zhai as Americanized. "He is more like an American kid than a Chinese student," said Wang.

Wang blamed the institute for suspending Zhai without any prior notice to his families. "He has never received any disciplinary penalty from the school before, so a sudden suspension from the school was just not right. The subsequent revocation of Zhai's visa has caused all the following trouble," Wang said.

Zhai, a native of Xi'an in northwest China's Shaanxi province, first visited the US in 1995 when he attended a drawing competition.

He spent part of his high school in Malta in southern Europe before coming to the US in 2003.

Leo Hurley, the assistant prosecutor at the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office that handled Zhai's case, did not return China Daily's call yesterday.

Hai said both the FBI and the Department of Defense visited Zhai in the immigration prison in the last few days. "It was just a regular chat," Hai quoted Zhai as saying. While Hai did not understand why the FBI talked to Zhai, he understood the visit by a Department of Defense official since Stevens is involved in research of military related projects.

Zhai's case became an international incident with stories widely printed in Chinese news media and blogs. Some have described the case as racial discrimination and an example of the flawed US justice system while others said he deserves to be punished for what he allegedly did.

Many had mistakenly equated the charge of "terroristic threats", or making verbal threats, to someone being charged as a terrorist.