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US civilian court clears Ghailani of major terrorism charges

The first former Guantanamo Bay inmate to be tried in civilian court has been cleared of most terror charges, but found guilty on one count concerning the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Africa.

Reuters/Christine Cornell
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After five days of deliberations, a federal jury in US District Court in New York found Tanzanian Ahmed Ghailani guilty of conspiracy to destroy US property, which carries a sentence of up to life in prison.

The 36-year-old was cleared of all other charges, which included 285 counts for murder and conspiracy. Sentencing was set for 25 January.

In one of al-Qaeda’s first shows of strength, the attacks on the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya killed 224 people.

The decision came as a surprise, and marked a blow to President Barack Obama's plans to close down Guantanamo, where 174 detainees remain, and move inmates into the civilian justice system.

Other Guantanamo prisoners include Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the 11 September attacks.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said he was "deeply disappointed" with the verdict, saying that members of al-Qaeda should be treated as warriors, and not common
criminals.

“We put our nation at risk by criminalizing the war […] I once again strongly encourage the Obama administration to use military commissions to prosecute enemy combatants,” he said.

Graham had previously told Obama he convince Republicans to vote in support of closing the detention centre if the president agreed to try terrorism suspects in military tribunals.
 

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