A U.S. court has convicted Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law of conspiring to kill Americans for his role as a fiery spokesman for the al-Qaida terrorist group.
A jury in New York decided Wednesday that Kuwaiti imam Sulaiman Abu Ghaith was guilty of three terrorism-related charges. He faces a possible life prison term when he is sentenced in September, although his lawyer said he will appeal the verdict.
Abu Ghaith was the highest-ranked al-Qaida figure to face trial in the United States since the attacks on New York and Washington that killed nearly 3,000 people.
Jurors were shown video of Abu Ghaith sitting next to Bin Laden and two other al-Qaida leaders the day after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks as they tried to justify them.
In an October 2001 video played for the jury, Abu Ghaith warned, “The storm of airplanes will not stop.”
A U.S. commando raid killed Bin Laden in a 2011 assault on the Pakistani home where he was living.
Abu Ghaith was captured in Jordan last year and brought to New York for the trial. He took an active role in his defense, denying in his testimony that he was an al-Qaida recruiter. He said his role was a religious one aimed at encouraging Muslims to rise up against their oppressors.
VOA
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