Tag Archives: Abu Ghaith

News, Politics, Government

Budget woes could delay NY trial for bin Laden kin

Leave a comment

A judge said he found it “stunning” to hear Monday that federal budget woes could delay the start of a terrorism trial for Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law.

U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan’s comment came as he set deadlines for lawyers to submit pre-trial arguments regarding Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, who pleaded not guilty last month to charges that he conspired to kill Americans in his role as al-Qaida’s top propagandist after Sept. 11.

The charismatic al-Qaida spokesman was shown in early October 2001, sitting with bin Laden and current al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri in what became a heavily watched propaganda video. Prosecutors say he had called on every Muslim to join the fight against the United States, declaring that “jihad is a duty.”

Ghaith, who was brought to the U.S. last month, was handcuffed as he was led into a courtroom Monday. The handcuffs were taken off before he listened through headphones to an Arabic translator.

Kaplan said he was considering starting the trial as early as September, drawing protests from defense lawyers who said the 5.1 percent across-the-board federal budget cuts known as sequestration required all public defenders to be furloughed for more than five weeks by the fall.

“It is extremely troublesome to contemplate the possibility of a case of this nature being delayed because of sequestration. Let me say only that,” the judge said, pausing before adding: “Stunning.”

The judge left open the possibility that the trial may not begin until next year.

Defense lawyers said they expected to ask the judge to toss out a 22-page statement Abu Ghaith provided after his Feb. 28 arrest in Jordan.

They also said they were likely to seek a change of venue. The federal courthouse in lower Manhattan is located just blocks from the World Trade Center complex.

Efforts to change the location where a trial is held or to challenge post-arrest statements have been unsuccessful in previous terrorism trials in Manhattan.

The single notable exception occurred when the Obama administration announced it was going to conduct a civil trial in New York for Khalid Sheik Mohammad, who has claimed responsibility for the 9/11 attacks, and four others, only to return the cases to military tribunal proceedings amidst an …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

News, Politics, Government

Bin Laden son-in-law could yield info on al-Qaida

Leave a comment

Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, the charismatic al-Qaida spokesman, fundraiser and son-in-law to Osama bin Laden, is likely to have a vast trove of knowledge about the terror network’s central command but not much useful information about current threats or plots, intelligence officials and other experts say.

Abu Ghaith pleaded not guilty Friday to conspiring to kill Americans in propaganda videos that warned of further assaults against the United States as devastating as the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon that killed nearly 3,000 people.

Believed to be more of a strategic player in bin Laden’s inner circle than an operational plotter, Abu Ghaith would be the highest-ranking al-Qaida figure to stand trial on U.S. soil since 9/11. Intelligence officials say he may be able to shed new light on al-Qaida’s inner workings — concerning al-Qaida’s murky dealings in Iran over the past decade, for example — but probably will have few details about specific or imminent ongoing threats.

He gave U.S. officials a 22-page statement after his Feb. 28 arrest in Jordan, according to prosecutors. They would not describe the statement.

Bearded and balding, Abu Ghaith said little during the 15-minute hearing in U.S. District Court in New York — in lower Manhattan just blocks from Ground Zero — and displayed none of the finger-wagging or strident orations that marked his propaganda in the days and months after 9/11.

Through an interpreter, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan asked whether he understood his rights. Abu Ghaith nodded and said, “Yes.” Asked whether he had money to hire an attorney, he shook his head and said no. He nodded and said yes when asked whether he had signed an affidavit describing his financial situation.

Kaplan promised to set a trial date when the case returns to court on April 8. Bail was not requested, and none was set. Abu Ghaith‘s lawyer declined comment after the hearing.

The fact that the defendant is being tried in federal district court is controversial in itself. Republicans are criticizing the Obama administration for bringing Abu Ghaith to New York instead of sending him to the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

President Barack Obama has promised to close Guantanamo, where terror detainees generally have fewer legal rights and due process than they would have in a U.S. federal court. But …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

News, Politics, Government

Less fuss this time over NYC terror trial

Leave a comment

The first court appearance for Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law and onetime propagandist unfolded at a Manhattan courthouse Friday without the fuss over security that the Obama administration encountered three years ago over its plan to hold a civilian trial for 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

There were no signs of unusual police activity around the court complex as lawyers for defendant Sulaiman Abu Ghaith entered a “not guilty” plea on his behalf. Public officials who had warned in 2009 that Mohammed’s very presence in New York would put civilians at risk said they didn’t have the same fears this time around.

“Times have changed,” said Michael Balboni, a top domestic security adviser to two New York governors.

Bin Laden is dead. Al-Qaida’s ability to launch a strike in the U.S. is greatly diminished. Other terror trials have proven the city can handle security with minimal cost and disruption. And in any case, Abu Ghaith was known as a “functionary” in the al-Qaida network, rather than a leader, and as such was far less likely to inspire reaction from bin Laden’s followers, said Balboni, New York‘s former deputy secretary of public safety.

“The NYPD is more than capable of locking down Foley Square and making sure they can protect anything going on there,” he said, referring to the part of the city where the trial is taking place.

New York City had a solid track record for handling major terrorism trials until the effort to bring Mohammed to justice collapsed amid opposition to his presence on U.S. soil. The thrust of that debate was over whether al-Qaida figures were more properly tried in a military court, but security challenges also loomed as a factor.

At the time, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he planned to spend $200 million a year on extra security for the trial, which Obama ultimately moved to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly drew up a plan that would have created a “frozen zone” in vital business districts, involving thousands of extra officers and checkpoints for inspecting vehicles.

Since then, prosecutions of less infamous terror figures have quietly resumed in New York.

Three Queens men were prosecuted for plotting to bomb New York City’s subway system. An Egyptian preacher extradited from Great Britain is awaiting trial on charges that he conspired to set up a terrorist training camp and helped abduct American tourists …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

Articles of Interest

Bin Laden Son-in-Law Held Captive for Years: Sources

Leave a comment

By Matt Cantor Osama bin Laden son-in-law Sulaiman Abu Ghaith pleaded not guilty today to a charge of plotting against Americans in his role as a spokesman for the terror network, the AP reports. Abu Ghaith appeared in federal court in New York . The development follows a report by NBC News , which spoke… …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home