Man Ruled Unfit to Stand Trial for Terrorism

Judge set a Feb. 1 hearing for a progress report on Ronald Haddad Jr.'s treatment

A west suburban man facing domestic terror charges has been ruled mentally unfit to stand trial af the latest in a string of psychiatric evaluations.

U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall ruled on Nov. 16 that Ronald Haddad Jr. of River Forest will be involuntarily hospitalized to allow for additional psychological testing to assess his mental condition and his ability to work with his lawyer before he stands trial, Pioneer Press reported Wednesday.

Haddad, represented by his fourth attorney after firing the first three, has waged an incessant battle against what he perceived as a biased and corrupt system that is denying him his legal rights.

As early as January 2010, he was described by mental health experts as suffering from a disorder that "impairs his ability to rationally interpret events and phenomena in his life.”

Kendall ordered Haddad committed for no more than four months. As part of his treatment, he may be forced to take anti-psychotic medication, something he has steadfastly refused, even as a condition of being free on bond.

Kendall set a Feb. 1 hearing for a progress report on his treatment.

Haddad was arrested by federal agents on Feb. 9, 2009 a day after the FBI and local police raided his parents’ Park Avenue home and carted out boxes of evidence.

He was charged with sending more than 25 threatening letters to Illinois public officials, including former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.

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