Lawyer: Trump comments could bias jurors in terrorism case

NEW YORK — A lawyer for a man accused in a New York terrorism case is arguing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's call for a ban on Muslim immigration into the United States will make it difficult to find unbiased jurors.

Minh Quang Pham is expected to go on trial in federal court in February. The Vietnamese man has pleaded not guilty to supporting al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

A 2012 indictment accuses him of traveling from the United Kingdom to Yemen in 2010 and receiving training from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

Pham's lawyer argues in court papers Trump's statements have become "a rallying cry inciting public fear of Muslims."

Representatives for Trump and the U.S. attorney's office haven't responded to messages seeking comment.