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Bin Laden's Driver Convicted at Gitmo

Posted on: Wednesday, 6 August 2008, 18:00 CDT

A military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Wednesday convicted Osama bin Laden's former driver of supporting terror but acquitted him on other charges.

The conviction of Salim Ahmed Hamdan, 37, followed a two-week trial during which prosecutors tried to paint him as an integral part of al-Qaida but the defense insisted he was merely a civilian employee and was being made a scapegoat.

A hearing was held Wednesday afternoon to determine his punishment -- a possible life sentence.

The Washington Post reported Hamdan was convicted of providing material support of terrorism but acquitted of conspiring with bin Laden to commit terrorist attacks.

The trial was the first military tribunal since World War II. Eighty other Guantanamo detainees are awaiting prosecution.

The New York Times reported Hamdan stood passively as the verdict was returned after eight hours of deliberation over three days.

Defense attorney Charles D. Swift, a former U.S. Navy lawyer, criticized the proceedings for not following the U.S. rule of law.

Hamdan was captured in Afghanistan in 2001 with two surface-to-air missiles in his car. He has been held at Guantanamo since 2002.

Prosecutor John Murphy characterized Hamdan, a Yemenite, as an al-Qaida operative and key player in the international terror infrastructure.

''He is an al-Qaida warrior,'' Murphy said Monday in closing arguments, The Miami Herald reported. Much of the evidence against Hamdan came from lengthy interrogations during which he was never told his statements could be used against him.

Source: United Press International

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