The war crimes tribunal building at U.S. Navy base Guantanamo
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - A Sudanese prisoner at Guantanamo Bay pleaded guilty Tuesday to two war-crimes charges, becoming the fourth detainee to take a plea deal at the special tribunals created to try terrorism suspects.
Noor Uthman, who was accused of helping to run an al-Qaida training camp in Afghanistan and providing weapons training there, entered guilty pleas through a lawyer to one count of providing material support of terrorism and one count of conspiracy, in a hearing before a military judge at the U.S. base in Cuba, said Navy Capt. David Iglesias, a spokesman for the U.S. Office of Military Commissions.
The terms of the plea deal have not been released.
A military jury is expected to begin deliberating on a sentence this week but under commission rules Noor cannot receive a sentence greater than whatever has been set under the still-sealed plea deal. Iglesias said the charges carry a maximum of life in prison.
Arabic broadcaster Al Arabiya, citing an anonymous source, reported that Uthman, who is believed to be in his 40s, will serve no more than three years at Guantanamo and has agreed to testify against other prisoners.
There are about 168 men held at Guantanamo, and the military has said several dozen could be charged with war crimes. So far, three others have reached plea deals: Australian David Hicks; Canadian Omar Khadr, and Ibrahim al-Qosi of Sudan. Two other detainees were convicted at trials.
source: Military.com
pic: google
0 comments:
Post a Comment