Claiming to be a “sovereign citizen,” an alleged gun toting robber accused of taking part in the holdup of a Lower Pottsgrove bank wants to represent himself and will be tried separately from his two alleged conspirators.
“I wish to defend me and my own person. I wish to contract with no attorney or anything like that,” Ishaq Ibrahim, 28, of Philadelphia, adamantly told Montgomery County President Judge William J. Furber Jr. on Monday during a pretrial hearing.
While Furber decided a separate trial was appropriate for Ibrahim, the judge appointed Assistant Public Defender Carol Sweeney as “standby counsel,” someone Ibrahim can consult only if he feels he needs legal advice at some point during his trial expected later this year.
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Ibrahim has repeatedly maintained that Assistant District Attorney Gabriel Magee has no legal authority to take him to trial and he has challenged the judge’s jurisdiction over the trial. At times interrupting the judge, Ibrahim suggested he is not subject to the laws or government proceedings of the U.S.
“My ruling is I do have the jurisdiction and that ends it,” Furber responded to Ibrahim at one point.
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“I’m a sovereign citizen of a sovereign state and my common law rights have been withheld and denied,” Ibrahim said as he was escorted from the courtroom by sheriff’s deputies for the return trip to jail where he is being held on $1 million bail pending trial.
Throughout the hearing, Ibrahim questioned whether the charges represented a criminal or civil matter and indicated he wants to challenge the validity of a search warrant issued during the investigation.
“This is a counterfeit and fraudulent document,” said Ibrahim, holding a copy of the search warrant, adding he’s also being held on “grossly excessive bail.” “I’m stuck in a cell all day, your honor. It hampers my defense.”
Accused Lower Pottsgrove bank robber claims to be a ‘sovereign citizen’
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