On Wednesday, Kuwaiti cleric and supposed senior adviser to terrorist Osama bin Laden, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, has been convicted of conspiracy to killing Americans and providing material support to his co-terrorists, the New York Times said. The 48 year-old was notorious with his fiery speeches on propaganda videos following the infamous attacks on September 11, 2001. The court decision concluded the lightning speed-like process of capturing and convicting suspected terrorists in civilian courts as opposed to before a military tribunal, the paper said.
In a statement, United States attorney general, Eric Holder Jr had said about Abu Ghaith's conviction, "It was appropriate that this defendant, who publicly rejoiced over the attacks on the World Trade Center, faced trial in the shadow of where those buildings once stood. This outcome vindicates the government's approach to securing convictions against not only this particular defendant, but also other senior leaders of Al Qaeda."
Abu Ghaith was convicted of all three counts, the Times said. The conspiracy and the aiding of terrorists each carry a maximum 15-year prison sentence, while the conspiracy to kill US nationals could have him facing life in prison.
The paper said Abu Ghaith's connection with Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda group was at one part, his marriage with the group leader's daughter named Fatima. He was extradited to the US last year following his capture to be tried for the terrorism charges. His defense team had since argued in court that their client has been mistaken for someone who is currently in US custody at the Guantanamo Bay prison. As with the videos, Abu Ghaith's lawyer, Stanley Cohen, said that his fiery speeches were not necessarily the AL Qaeda's but of him own as an imam, of a Muslim priest. Nonetheless, the Times said that the prosecution's insistence that Abu Ghaith's connection with Bin Laden was more than that of a frightened and coerced participant.
Cohen said, "You saw videos from a theologian. These words and these concepts may be offensive to you. They may disgust you. But you are going to have to decide the context."
