Guantanamo Inmate to Face Civilian Trial

An inmate of Guantanamo Bay is to face trial in the US

An inmate of notorious prison camp Guantanamo Bay is set to be the first detainee to face a civilian trial.

A suspected member of terrorist cell Al-Qaeda, Ahmed Ghailani, will face trial in New York over bombings made at the US embassy in East Africa in 1998, according to reports. US media representatives were told by government officials that Mr Ghailani would be sent to trial in New York, but it was not specified when.

Captured in Pakistan in 2004, Mr Ghailani was noted as a “high-value detainee” and was taken to Guantanamo Bay in 2006. He admitted handling the explosives that were used in the embassy attack. However, moving the prisoner onto US mainland has angered some members of the government. Republican Senator John Thune said: “The American people don’t want these men walking the streets of America’s neighbourhoods,” according to the BBC.

Controversy over the prison camp still rages on as President Obama will today address his nation over plans to close Guantanamo Bay down. The US Senate rejected President Obama’s request for $80 million to close the camp, and it is thought the President will use his speech to explain why he thinks the camp must be closed.

If Guantanamo is closed then all of the 240 prisoners who are still there would have to be transferred to new locations. Republican Americans remain staunchly against the closing of Guantanamo Bay and Senator Thune added: “The American people don’t want these detainees held at a military base or federal prison in their backyard, either.”

President Obama will be speaking in Washington at Georgetown University later today.

By Warren McGraw posted May 21, 2009 4:01 AM with 402 views