Results tagged “ahmedkhalfanghailani”

In a court case that might turn out closely foreshadowing the much-hyped trials of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four other suspected 9/11 plotters, terror suspect Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani has asked a Manhattan judge to dismiss his indictment because authorities denied him his constitutional right to a speedy trial.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the four other suspected terrorists who will be tried in Manhattan for their involvement in planning the 9/11 attacks will plead not guilty, according to an attorney. Scott Fenstermaker, the lawyer representing suspect Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, said the men would not deny their role in the attacks, but "would explain what happened and why they did it" and share "their assessment of American foreign policy," according to the Post. Unsurprisingly, "their assessment is negative," according to Fenstermaker.

Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, who was being held in Guantanamo Bay and is accused of two 1998 bombings in Africa, is now in NYC for trial. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said, "With his appearance in federal court today, Ahmed Ghailani is being held accountable for his alleged role in the bombing of U.S. Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya and the murder of 224 people." Ghailani is the first Gitmo detainee to be sent to the U.S. for trial; one of his lawyers says that Ghailani wants to keep his Pentagon-appointed defense team. Marine Col. Jeffrey Colwell, who is one of two attorneys traveling to NYC to see if they can stay on the case, told the AP, "First and foremost is what he wants. We've got a good working relationship." In a 2007 closed hearing, Ghailani said he didn't realize that he had delivered explosives used in the Tanzanian bombing, "It was without my knowledge what they were doing, but I helped them."

The Justice Department announced today that Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, who has been held in Guantanamo Bay and is accused of 1998 bombings in Africa, will be tried in NY. Attorney General Eric Holder said, "By prosecuting Ahmed Ghailani in federal court, we will ensure that he finally answers for his alleged role in the bombing of our embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. This administration is committed to keeping the American people safe and upholding the rule of law, and by closing Guantanamo and bringing terrorists housed there to justice we will make our nation stronger and safer," Ghailani, who is Tanzanian, was previously indicted in New York in 1998 for conspiring with Osama bin Laden; afterwards, he fled but was seized in 2004 and was, according to Reuters, "one of the 14 'high-value detainees' transferred to Guantanamo from secret CIA prisons in September 2006." He will be the first detainee to face a trial in civilian criminal court. In the meantime, President Obama is pressing on with his efforts to close Gitmo, though the Senate voted 90-6 against the shutdown.