Ahmed Ghailani, the first Guantanamo detainee tried in civilian court, found not guilty on all but

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Sky News

The first suspect transferred from the Guantanamo military prison to face a US civilian court is found not guilty of terrorism charges.

Will need amending and updating.

Read more: http://news.sky.com/skynews/

---

refers to :

Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, 36, a Tanzanian from Zanzibar, is accused of conspiring in the 1998 al Qaeda car bomb attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people.

Not guilty on all counts other than a single charge of destroying public property.

[FiveGoodMen]

1. This is why there's been such opposition to civilian trials

Everyone will find out about the complete lack of justice from our government.

[Doremus]

25. What are you talking about?

[FiveGoodMen]

26. The right has been mightily opposed to non-military trials for Gitmo detainees

I think it's because the outcome is too hard to rig ... or to cover up.

[dipsydoodle]

2. All news agencies still showing twitter links only

on their blogs e.g. http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/17/verdict-ahmed-ghailani/

Ahmed Ghailani, the first Guantanamo detainee tried in civilian court, was found not guilty on all counts except one in connection with the 1998 bombing of U.S. Embassies in Africa.

Ghailani was convicted of conspiracy to destroy public property. He was charged with conspiracy and murder in the 1998 attacks on embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

[dipsydoodle]

3. BBC and Reuters links now up

Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Ahmed Ghailani has been convicted of just one count of terrorism conspiracy over the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Africa.

In the first civilian trial of a former Guantanamo inmate, the Tanzanian was found guilty of conspiracy to damage or destroy US property with explosives.

But he was cleared of many other counts including murder and murder conspiracy.

The verdict comes as the US considers holding other civilian terror trials.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11782346

Reuters) - The first suspect transferred from the Guantanamo military prison to face a U.S. civilian court was found not guilty of terrorism charges on Wednesday by a federal jury in New York.

Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, 36, a Tanzanian from Zanzibar, had been accused of conspiring in the 1998 al Qaeda car bomb attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people. The jury found him guilty of one relatively minor charge of conspiracy to damage or destroy U.S. property by means of an explosive device.

Ghailani was cleared of 276 murder and attempted murder counts, along with five other conspiracy charges.

http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-52987420101117

[OHdem10]

4. Fox is going after this like mad dogs. "Failure" Blow to ADM.

Blow to Eric Holder. Gr-----grhhhhhhhhhhhh, as they
chew the "bone". They are saying this is proof Courts
cannot be used. Go back to Miliary Tribunals. grh------

[appleannie1]

5. Guess it never occurred to them you need proof.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

8. The president and AG seemed pretty sure they had proof

Say good-bye to civilian trials because I doubt the president wants to risk political suicide.

I'm not saying that's the right thing, it isn't, but if Ghailiani had been found not guilty on all counts Obama would either detain him without charges or watch him walk away.

If the former he would destroy any all credibility he once held because even his lame-brained predecessor would have at least given a nod to facades of justice via military tribunals. If the latter the MSM would reinforce the narrative that Obama allowed a killer to walk free because he was a weak-kneed liberal.

Either way it would be the end of his presidency for all intents and purposes.

So it's back to dispensing justice at sunny Gitmo unless he's willing to see the rest of his term crippled.

They called it a test case and they barely survived.

This is a bad day.

[dipsydoodle]

12. Some evidence was deemed inadmissable

due the fact it was obtained under duress. That evidence was obtained when Obama was not your President.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

17. Yes, but that tells me Obama and Holder still intended to use that evidence

And considered it valid.

They presented it in court.

[dipsydoodle]

19. Fair comment.

:hi:

[lunatica]

18. Really? A bad day for what exactly

There's a reason Lady Justice is blindfolded. If a jury of Americans found Ghailiani not guilty then maybe there was simply not any evidence to convict. That's what our justice system is based on. Does it make life a little harder for Obama because FOX decided our justice system is not good? Yes. But since when is FOX running this country? Because if what FOX says is what has to be done, then this country is already screwn!!11!!

[Nuclear Unicorn]

20. A bad day for the political straits the president finds himself in

While your observation is fair beyond argument there will be a political price to pay so either Obama becomes what he campaigned against or the electorate will replace him for someone who has no compunctions about waterboarding and military tribunals.

Not an approval, just an observation.

*sighs*

At least we can hold each other while we cry.

[Hydra]

22. Only because Obama missed his chance in the beginning

He could have said "Let's review the evidence against these people and see if the Bush Admin were holding them with cause."

Had he done that, he could have let all of Gitmo go with an apology(Which wouldn't stain him since he can blame it on past Admin), and this whole mess would have been over.

Instead, he embraced the tar baby.

I have no sympathy, btw. You keep it going, you own it too.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

23. That's a tremendous charge of incompetence

I'm sure the DoJ knew exactly what their case was based upon. After all, they presented it. They called it a test case.

Of course that moves us from "incompetent" to "heinous".

Not that that makes us feel any better.

[NRaleighLiberal]

6. CBS news was gleefully trumpeting the "utter disaster for the administration"

:banghead:

[AndyTiedye]

7. Disaster for the Administration That Put This Guy in Gitmo, More Like

He should never have been in Gitmo in the first place.
It wasn't the OBAMA administration that put him there!

[CJCRANE]

14. The MSM has received their talking points

and as usual they're giving opinions not facts.

[Turborama]

9. Sooo, what if he was actually innocent? There seems to be an assumption that because he was in Gitm

and was held by the CIA at a secret overseas camp for 2 years he must be guilty. What if, as the jury seems to think, he wasn't guilty and there had been a military tribunal instead?

[ProgressiveLiberal]

10. Why is Gitmo still open ?

Because I vaguely recall a promise to shut it down.

[cstanleytech]

11. Why? Politics.

Not saying I approve of it though because I dont, just that I understand is all.

[dipsydoodle]

13. Interesting the way in which headlines change

BBC's headline now says "Ghailani guilty over 1998 embassy bombings"

but then continues to clarify by saying :

The first Guantanamo detainee tried in a US civilian court has been found guilty on just one out of 285 terror charges over the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Africa.

Tanzanian Ahmed Ghailani, 36, was found guilty of conspiracy to damage or destroy US property with explosives.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11782346

[underpants]

15. AP this morning

First conviction unlikely to help Obama shut Gitmo
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_guantanamo_detainee;_ylt=AoZo44gBVIOoOFLEvfvF.k1paP0E;_ylu=X3oDMTJwcmdsZWw1BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAxMTE4L3VzX2d1YW50YW5hbW9fZGV0YWluZWUEY3BvcwMxBHBvcwMxBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcmllcwRzbGsDZmlyc3Rjb252aWN0

[dipsydoodle]

16. The day before the verdict

White House Drops Plans to Close Gitmo :

THE Washington Post is reporting the Obama administration has effectively abandoned plans to close the Guantánamo Bay prison. Administration officials said they do not expect to secure congressional funding to close the prison and transfer remaining prisoners to the United States. One official said, "Gitmo is going to remain open for the foreseeable future." The White House also says it expects Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, to remain jailed without trial indefinitely. (Democracy Now)

http://www.granma.cu/ingles/international-i/16-noviembre-white.html

In passing - the town of Guantanamo is regarded as being one of the most beautiful on the whole island - even more so than Trinidad. Its been removed from normal tours of the island but where travallers make their own arrangements with Cuban guides they invariably go there as a must see. There was a lookout post some distance from the camp for tourists with binoculars but that been taken off limits now. The area between the camp and the town has also allegedly now been mined but I'm not sure by whom.

[sally cat]

21. Didn't he confess to killing over two hundred people? Maybe not.

[24601]

24. If the Nazi leadership had been tried in a US District Court instead

of the Nuremberg Tribunal, Hermann Goering would have been convicted only of misdemeanor disorderly conduct and sentenced to time served. Charges against Hess would have been dismissed before trial since the British treated him badly by initially isolating him in the Tower of London and for eavesdropping on him in Mytchett Place without a warrant.