Friday, March 8, 2013

Bin Laden's son-in-law pleads not guilty to conspiracy to kill Americans

The son-in-law of Osama bin Laden pleaded not guilty in federal court to charges of conspiracy to kill Americans.

Prosecutors in US District Court said evidence against Suleiman Abu Ghaith, a militant and a spokesman for al Qaeda, includes videos and audio recordings.They said Ghaith's trial is expected to last three weeks. No trial date was set.

Suleiman Abu Ghaith, a militant who appeared in videos representing al Qaeda after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, was arrested in Turkey and brought to New York City to stand trial, US government sources said.

Abu Ghaith is one of the highest-ranking al Qaeda figures to be brought to the United States to face a civilian trial.

"Among other things, Abu Ghaith urged others to swear allegiance to bin Laden, spoke on behalf of and in support of al Qaeda's mission, and warned that attacks similar to those of September 11, 2001 would continue," according to the indictment, which was announced on Thursday.

It accuses him of acting in a conspiracy that "would and did murder United States nationals anywhere in the world," listing actions before and after Sept. 11, 2001.

Authorities said Abu Ghaith would be arraigned on Friday morning at US District Court in downtown Manhattan, only blocks from the site of the World Trade Center, which was destroyed in the Sept. 11 attacks.

US Attorney General Eric Holder previously had announced plans to try defendants in the Sept. 11 attacks in the same courthouse, but public opposition forced him to back down, and the trials were moved to the US military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Abu Ghaith initially was picked up in Turkey, deported to Jordan and brought to the United States in the last few days in an operation led by Jordanian authorities and the FBI, the sources said.