Results tagged “gitmo”

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.

During President Obama's visit to France, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said his country "would accept a prisoner from Guantanamo Bay if that would facilitate the closing of the controversial detention center where terrorist suspects are held," the AP reports. European governments have wanted Guantanamo Bay to close, but their commitment to finding places (like their own countries) for the detainees is unclear. Obama, who said, "I made the decision to close Guantanamo because I do not think it makes America safer," appreciated that Sarkozy was "being good to his word." Related: Rep. Peter King doesn't want any Gitmo detainees in New York and Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza visited the prison camp and declared it "fun" and "calm and beautiful."

Families of firefighters killed in the 9/11 attacks are looking to obtain a meeting with President Obama to discuss his decision to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay. Obama announced on Thursday that Gitmo would be closed for 120 days while officials review the prison known for its harsh interrogation methods. Civil Rights lawyer Norman Siegel says that the families are looking for "open and fair, but speedy trials for the prisoners who are being held there." Obama may be in store for an an earful if family members share the sentiments of Michael Burke, whose brother was a fire captain who died in the attacks and writes an op-ed for today's Daily News. He argues that it is impossible to fight terrorism under the Constitution, which would could become a "means to our destruction." He also says that Obama "is convincing these mass murderers that we are too narcissistic, too foolish and too weak to protect and defend ourselves."

Who knew that Al Qaeda operatives felt so strongly about their courtroom portraits? Khaild Sheikh Mohammed, who was officially arraigned yesterday for his role in the September 11, 2001 attacks (he allegedly suggested and oversaw the plan), took exception to the sketch made by courtroom artist Jane Hamlin and asked her to change his nose.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who federal authorities accuse of proposing and overseeing the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S., appeared in a military courtroom today at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Mohammed said he would represent himself and, when told he could face the death penalty if convicted, "Yes, this is what I wish, to be a martyr for a long time. I will, God willing, have this, by you."