PlusSplit Verdict in First Guantanamo TrialSplit Verdict in First Guantanamo TrialThe Associated PressA jury of six military officers at Guantanamo Bay has reached a split verdict in the war crimes trial of a former driver for Osama bin Laden. (Aug. 06)A former driver for Osama Bin Ladin could face life in prison after being convicted of some of the charges against him. A military jury found Salim Hamdan (sah-LEEM' hahm-DAHN') guilty of supporting terrorism. He was cleared of the conspiracy charge. The trial at Guantanamo Bay provided the first demonstration of a special tribunal system for prosecuting alleged terrorists.Hamdan held his head in his hands and wept at the defense table after a Navy captain presiding over the jury read the sentence.Defense lawyers had feared a guilty verdict was inevitable. They say the tribunal system's rules seemed designed to achieve convictions.The military accused Hamdan of transporting missiles for al-Qaida. They also say he helped bin Laden escape U.S. retribution following the Sept. 11 attacks by driving him around Afghanistan. Defense attorneys said he was merely a low-level bin Laden employee.The judge scheduled a sentencing hearing for later today. ___ ___, The Associated Press.
Channel: News & Politics Uploaded: August 6, 2008 at 8:49 am Author:AssociatedPress
