‘Fort Dix Five’ supporters protest during court proceeding

In a federal appeals court in Philadelphia Monday, attorneys for five men convicted of plotting to attack a New Jersey military base challenged the Patriot Act.

Family members of the men demonstrated outside the Center City courthouse, repeating many of the claims they made two years ago when the men were at a federal courthouse in Camden.

Zurada Duka, the mother of three of the so-called Fort Dix Five, says they are innocent.

“Everything was set up by the FBI, by the judge, by the jury,” she said. “This is from Sept. 11–they want to cover what’s happened to them and blame it on the Muslims. Obama, he said in his speech, ‘We want all the political prisoners in Libya and Syria to come out.’ Well how about this country? How many political prisoners are there in this country?”

Supporters of the convicted men believe they were victims of entrapment.