Terror suspect Ahmed Ghailani will be transferred to New York to face trial at an unspecified date, making him the first Guantanamo inmate to be tried on US soil in a civilian court.
The Tanzanian is charged with war crimes for his participation in the 1998 US Embassy bombings in East Africa that left 11 people dead and dozens injured. He was captured in Pakistan in July 2004 and delivered to US custody in early 2005. In September 2006, he was one of the 14 detainees who were shipped to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from their incarceration in so-called “secret CIA prisons”.
Ghailani faces prosecution for murder, attacking civilians, conspiracy and providing material support for terrorism. Transcript from a 2007 closed-door hearing indicates he admitted to delivering the explosives used for the bombings but professed innocence in knowing the plot beforehand. If convicted, the Pentagon is going after the death penalty for the terror suspect.
This development comes as the US Senate voted 90-6 to reject President Obama’s $80M fund request for the closure of the Guantanamo camp, demanding a closure plan prior to any approval. Obama addressed this issue in a speech last Thursday, May 22, 2009.
Obama’s moves on the Guantanamo transfer issue have irked both his political allies and enemies. Republicans want the detention camp retained, viewing the transfer of Guantanamo inmates to US soil as a security risk to Americans. On the other hand, human rights groups ACLU and Amnesty International criticized his “confusing” position on the use of military commissions in trying the detainees. As one of his first official acts as President, Obama had promised a halt to this system in order to usher a new era for respecting human rights, but later announced its continued use with several modifications.
The Guantanamo camp was established shortly after 9/11 and caused international outrage for glaring human rights violations, including the use of waterboarding, which the Bush administration consented.