by KYW's Steve Tawa

The fate of five men accused of plotting to kill soldiers at Fort Dix is now in the hands of a jury, which began deliberations on Wednesday morning.
 
During closing arguments over two full days, after eight weeks of testimony, the jury heard both sides parse the defendants' words and actions.
 
Prosecutors at the front end -- and during rebuttal at the back end -- asserted the five showed a "powerful motive about their state of mind in launching a jihad."
 
Each of the defense lawyers used the same secretly recorded conversations from two undercover informants to bolster their view that the informants were instigators. As one put it, they 'pushed, prodded, goaded,' and ultimately 'insulted' the defendants to turn any idle chatter into action.
 
The jury will sift through 48 binders of transcripts. It is now sequestered, and will stay locked up under the supervision of federal marshals throughout deliberations.
 
The five foreign-born Muslims, who lived for years in Cherry Hill, NJ, face potential life prison terms if convicted on the most serious conspiracy and attempted murder charges.
  
A sixth man, Agron Abdullahu, previously pleaded guilty to a weapons offense.

Stay tuned to KYW Newsradio 1060 for ongoing developments in this trial.