Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
International
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Environment
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Judge drops charges in USS Cole bombing case
Thu Feb 5, 2009 11:20pm EST
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Jane Sutton and Andrew Gray
MIAMI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The judge overseeing U.S. war crimes court at Guantanamo on Thursday dismissed the charges against a Saudi prisoner accused of plotting the bombing of the Navy warship USS Cole, the Pentagon said.
The move avoided a showdown between the U.S. military and President Barack Obama. It canceled a hearing that had been set for Monday in the Guantanamo war crimes court, despite the fact Obama had ordered a freeze in proceedings there.
Susan Crawford, the retired judge who oversees the commissions, issued a ruling dismissing without prejudice all charges against Saudi national Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, said Pentagon spokesman Navy Commander J.D. Gordon.
Nashiri is accused of plotting the attack on the Cole that killed 17 U.S. sailors in the Yemeni port of Aden in 2000.
The dismissal of the charges eliminates the need for Monday's hearing but al-Nashiri would remain in U.S. custody and could be recharged under the commissions system or a replacement drawn up by the Obama administration.
"It was (Crawford's) decision, and it reflects the fact that the president has issued an executive order which mandates that the military commissions be halted, pending the outcome of several comprehensive reviews of our detention operations at Guantanamo," Gordon said.
The White House said Obama would meet on Friday with families who lost loved ones in the Cole bombing and the September 11 attacks in order to discuss his plans for the Guantanamo.
The Guantanamo prison for terrorism suspects at the U.S. naval base on Cuba has been widely condemned by rights groups and foreign governments, including close allies of the United States, as failing to meet basic legal standards.
The Bush administration contended the jail was necessary to hold dangerous terrorism suspects and prevent them exploiting legal protection they would enjoy in the United States.
SHUTDOWN WITHIN A YEAR
As a presidential candidate, Obama promised to close the prison and one of his first acts in the White House was to sign an executive order to shut it down within a year and halt pending cases.
The freeze is to allow time to decide whether to scrap the special tribunals created by the Bush administration to try suspected terrorists outside the regular U.S. court system.
But the chief judge for the Guantanamo court, Army Colonel James Pohl, said the law underpinning the tribunals gives the presiding judges sole authority to delay cases.
He ruled that postponing Monday's arraignment would harm the public interest in a speedy trial.
Nashiri has been in U.S. custody since 2002 but was only charged late last year. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
My Web
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
U.N. Bhutto inquiry to have limited mandate
Also on Reuters
Nine-year old whiz-kid writes iPhone application
Video
Video: Summit's global warming warning
All aboard! GE CEO Jeff Immelt goes to Washington
More International News
Iraq's Maliki beats religious parties in vote
| Video
Kyrgyzstan says U.S. air base decision is final
| Video
Gaza rocket lands in Israel, no casualties
North Korea eyes disputed sea border for missiles: reports
Hundreds more flee as Sri Lanka war races to end
More International News...
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Obama admission of mistake rare for presidents | Video
Nine-year old whiz-kid writes iPhone application
Madoff client list peppered with big names | Video
Miley Cyrus' slant-eye pose slammed by Asian group
Man jailed for taking 50 cents 24 years ago
U.S. housing market bottom within sight | Video
"Osama Bin Laden" rejected for dream island job
SNAP ANALYSIS: Obama toughens talk, scales back ambitions
In times of crisis, Parisians take to scavenging
Senate OK's softened "Buy American" plan | Video
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Ferrell plays Bush on Broadway
Wanting for water in Mexico City
Obama nominee Daschle withdraws
Madoff whistleblower
'Nazi Dr Death dead' claim
Victory for Iraq's PM Maliki
Pop goes dance in 2009
Obama sets cap on executive pay
Toshiba targets iPhone with TG01
Obama hunts for Republican support
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
The Great Debate
World Affairs:
America's long Afghan war
Bernd Debusmann
Twenty years ago, the last Soviet soldier left Afghanistan after a disastrous war that lasted over nine years. Barring a miracle, the U.S. will stay considerably longer in Afghanistan. Commentary
Reuters Deals
The global destination for corporate leaders, deal-makers and innovators
Knowledge to Act
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Interactive TV |
Labs |
Reuters in Second Life |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.