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July 29, 2008
Guantanamo Trial Views Graphic 9/11 Video
GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba
(Reuters)
Prosecutors in the trial of Osama bin Laden's driver unveiled a graphic video on Monday of the September 11 attacks and other al Qaeda operations that is likely to play a repeated role in pending war crimes cases.
The video is entitled "The Al Qaeda Plan," an echo of "The Nazi Plan" made by Oscar-winning director George Stevens as evidence in the Nuremberg war crimes trials of German leaders after World War II.
"Oh my God" was heard repeatedly as crowds watched the twin towers of the World Trade center collapse on September 11, 2001, in a vivid highlight of the movie shown over defense objections at the terrorism conspiracy trial of Salim Hamdan.
The six-member panel that will decide Hamdan's fate also saw footage of charred bodies stripped of flesh in the bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa and the body of a U.S. soldier dragged through the streets in Somalia in 2003.
Control tower conversations with one of the doomed September 11 planes were also included.
"The Al Qaeda Plan" was made for $25,000 by terrorism consultant Evan Kohlmann for the Office of Military Commissions, which is conducting the trials of terrorism suspects at Guantanamo. Its 90 minutes of video clips depict the history of al Qaeda from its formation in 1988 through the September 11 attacks.
The commission's lead prosecutor, Col. Lawrence Morris, said the tape would be used in other trials but no decision had been made whether to use it in the trial of accused September 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
Hamdan's attorneys objected that the footage would prejudice the jury. "They're trying to terrorize the members," defense attorney Charles Swift told the court.
But prosecutors said the video helped illustrate the goals of al Qaeda training and ideology. "It is a very important part of the prosecution's case," said prosecutor Clayton Trivett.
Commission Judge Keith Allred approved the video, after first saying it would serve more to prejudice the case than to prove a point. "The planes crashing into the towers and the people screaming doesn't prove anything," he said.
A pivotal point of contention is the significance of Hamdan's role in al Qaeda. The Yemeni native was caught in November 2001 with two surface-to-air missiles in his car.
Defense attorneys say he was a lowly driver, but the prosecution has sought to portray him as a trusted bodyguard who helped bin Laden evade capture and stay alive.
The two sides have also skirmished over an expert's testimony on the laws of war. With Hamdan being tried as a war criminal under a 2006 U.S. law, the prosecution is seeking to show the United States was in a continuing armed conflict with al Qaeda well before the September 11 attacks.
Hamdan's attorneys have sought to demonstrate that the battle with al Qaeda did not reach the state of armed conflict until the September 11 attacks, which could make it harder for the prosecution to prove Hamdan's actions count as a war crime.
Separately on Monday, the Pentagon announced it had filed charges against another detainee at Guantanamo and released three from the detention center.
The Pentagon said Abdul Ghani was accused of attempted murder, material support for terrorism and conspiracy over accusations he fired rockets and planted bombs aimed at U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan in 2001 and 2002, and tried to kill an Afghani soldier in 2002.
The Pentagon said it had released three detainees -- one to Afghanistan, one to the United Arab Emirates and one to Qatar. It said more than 65 Guantanamo detainees are eligible for transfer or release subject to talks on where they will go.
Wild Thing's comment........
7 years later we are still dealing with the scum responsible for 9/11 only strengthens my resolve to kill them. Kill them all. Set the precedent now!!
Posted by Wild Thing at July 29, 2008 01:40 AM
Comments
My God it took the UCMJ 20 years to get a presidential order to execute one of our own crazed soldiers. I'm afraid that if Obama gets in he'll grant these monsters a presidential pardon, there is nothing wrong with summarily executing a mad dog, these are nothing but a pack of mad dogs.
Posted by: Jack at July 29, 2008 02:22 AM
It's going to take forever and a freakin' day to get these whackjobs taken care of.
They planned this, they carried it out and now they're crying. Well boo hoo! What did you think would happen? Nothing? How stupid are you Al Qaeda?
I hope they pick execution for Hamdan and bury him in pig parts so he can't get his 77 virgins. Plus, what virgin would want him anyway?
They ought to just line them all up and do them all in a row. One bullet to the brain for each and every one!
Posted by: Lynn at July 29, 2008 04:30 AM
WHAT A BUNCH OF LIBERAL BS-- MAJOR WASTE OF TIME-AND MONEY!!!SURELY THERE ARE BETTER THINGS THAN THIS THAT WE NEED TO BE DOING-!! LIBERAL MINDLESS ZOMBIES WASTING TAX PAYER MONEY OVER AND OVER-
THEY SHOULD OF WHACKED EVERY DAMN ONE OF THEM AT CAPTURE !! LOT CHEAPER!! THESE COCKROACHES HAVE NO MERCY ON THE US - NO MERCY SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THEM!!
Posted by: Cheryl Zee at July 29, 2008 12:14 PM
Jack, yes that should let us know just how long these terrorists will be around.
They take ages to deal with our own, so with these horrible people it will be forever.
Posted by: Wild Thing at July 29, 2008 07:40 PM
Lynn, I really like your suggestion. Yes I do!!!
Posted by: Wild Thing at July 29, 2008 07:42 PM
Cheryl, I agree so much. Get rid of them boom bah and we can all get on with other things that need to be done.
Posted by: Wild Thing at July 29, 2008 07:46 PM
