The son-in-law of Osama bin Laden is set to go on trial for terrorism charges in Manhattan today, after the 47-year-old was picked up by U.S. authorities last month.
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, who acted as spokesman for the Al Qaeda terrorist organization, but did not take part in the planning of the September 11th attacks or any other attacks against American citizens, is married to Bin Laden's daughter Fatima. He will be the highest ranking member of Al Qaeda tried in New York City, following years of controversy over whether suspected 9/11 perpetrators should be tried in a New York City courtroom, or in Guantanamo.
Abu Ghaith was picked up by U.S. authorities while he was being deported from Turkey to his home country of Kuwait. The Times reports that he was taken into custody while on a stopover in Jordan, and has now been indicted by the Justice Department for conspiring to kill Americans. The indictment places Abu Ghaith with Osama Bin Laden on the night of the 9/11 attacks and alleges that he helped recruit terrorists for the Al Qaeda organization.
Michigan Republican Mike Rogers is among those urging the U.S. to send Abu Ghaith to Guantanamo. "We should treat enemy combatants like the enemy — the U.S. court system is not the appropriate venue," Rogers said in a statement. "The president needs to send any captured Al Qaeda members to Guantanamo." On Friday, Judge Lewis Kaplan refused to delay the trial after Abu Ghaith's lawyers claimed that their client had been mistaken for someone currently imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay. Jury selection begins today.
