Conspiracy to kill Americans: Bin Laden’s son-in-law goes on trial in US
Suleiman Abu Ghaith is known for his incendiary threats after 9/11 attacks.
A photo of Suleiman Abu Ghaith. PHOTO: AFP
NEW YORK:
A son-in-law of Osama bin Laden and former al Qaeda spokesman, Suleiman Abu Ghaith, goes on trial in New York on Monday (today) for allegedly conspiring to kill Americans and supporting terrorists.
Abu Ghaith, who spent time with Bin Laden in Afghanistan, is best known for making incendiary threats in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
The 48-year-old suspect from Kuwait is one of the most senior alleged al Qaeda members to face trial in the United States and faces life behind bars in an American prison if convicted.
His trial, which could feature testimony from the self-declared mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, will be watched closely by those pushing for all terror suspects to be tried in civilian courts.
The defendant is best-known for appearing alongside Bin Laden and the current leader of al Qaeda, Ayman al Zawahiri, in al Qaeda propaganda videos in September 2001.
Married to bin Laden’s daughter Fatima, US prosecutors say Abu Ghaith worked for al Qaeda until 2002, when he fled the US military presence in Afghanistan for neighbouring Iran.
The prosecution claims he was complicit in the December 2001 plot to bring down an airliner flying from Paris to Miami.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 3rd, 2014.
A son-in-law of Osama bin Laden and former al Qaeda spokesman, Suleiman Abu Ghaith, goes on trial in New York on Monday (today) for allegedly conspiring to kill Americans and supporting terrorists.
Abu Ghaith, who spent time with Bin Laden in Afghanistan, is best known for making incendiary threats in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
The 48-year-old suspect from Kuwait is one of the most senior alleged al Qaeda members to face trial in the United States and faces life behind bars in an American prison if convicted.
His trial, which could feature testimony from the self-declared mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, will be watched closely by those pushing for all terror suspects to be tried in civilian courts.
The defendant is best-known for appearing alongside Bin Laden and the current leader of al Qaeda, Ayman al Zawahiri, in al Qaeda propaganda videos in September 2001.
Married to bin Laden’s daughter Fatima, US prosecutors say Abu Ghaith worked for al Qaeda until 2002, when he fled the US military presence in Afghanistan for neighbouring Iran.
The prosecution claims he was complicit in the December 2001 plot to bring down an airliner flying from Paris to Miami.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 3rd, 2014.